Tempting Fate
by bonkai-coven-1994
Summary: Bonkaimon au. Bonnie and Kai are soulmates destined to be together in every lifetime. Kai is struggling with a serious magical problem and Bonnie might just be the solution. Things get a little complicated when he finds out she's married to his brother, Damon.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: It starts out with bamon but bonkai is definitely the endgame here. Also, in this fic supernatural abilities are like genetic traits you inherit from your parents. If both parents are vampires, their child will be a vampire. If one parent is a vampire and the other is a witch, their child will be a hybrid/heretic (although crossbreeding is unlikely). Vampires have the same abilities as on the show like super strength/speed, heightened senses, compulsion etc. But they only develop those abilities between the ages of 19 and 21 generally (think of it like a supernatural puberty).

x

"All I'm saying is you could have talked to me about it first." Bonnie muttered as she dunked a plate into the soapy water. Her hand tightened around the sponge, scrubbing the porcelain so hard it made a squeaking sound.

"You have every right to be mad, but there's no need to to take it out on the dishes." She felt Damon's broad chest press against her back as he reached his arms around her. Taking the sponge from her hand, he made quick work of the dirty dishes.

Bonnie groaned softly, failing to hide her annoyance. "I'm serious, Damon. I don't want some stranger staying in our home."

"He's not a stranger. He's my brother."

"Who you haven't seen in years. I haven't even met the guy and after everything you told me about him, I don't think I want to."

"Just give him a chance. He might be a dick but he's the only family I have left." He rested his chin on her shoulder. "You gave me a chance and it worked out pretty well for you."

Bonnie didn't have to look at him to know he was smirking. "You're different. You worked hard to become a better man."

"Because you made me want to be a better man." Cold water sprayed in every direction as Damon rinsed a spoon, the droplets dampening Bonnie's face and the front of her shirt.

"Damon!" She whined.

He chuckled softly and spun her around, pressing her back against the sink and closing the space between them. Cupping her face in his hands, he wiped some of the water from her cheeks with his thumbs.

"I love you, Bonnie Salvatore."

She sighed, softened by his cheeky smirk and baby blue eyes. "I love you too."

His fingers trailed down her neck and he started unbuttoning her shirt. He was working on the last button when Bonnie gripped his biceps and gently pushed him away from her.

Damon might have been able to charm his way back into her good graces but she was not in a romantic mood. Her husband's selfish actions and disregard for her feelings hurt her deeply, and she wanted him to know that.

"I'm tired. I just want to take a hot shower and go to sleep." She started buttoning her shirt back up. "I have an early appointment with Caroline tomorrow morning. Can you take Micah to school?"

Even though he tried to hide it, Damon was clearly unnerved by her rejection. He rubbed the nape of his neck and cleared his throat before responding. "Yeah, I can drop him off but you're going to have to pick him up. Unless you would prefer to fetch my brother from the airport."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him. "Hard pass."

x

"So what's the big wedding emergency?"

Bonnie tried to pay attention as Caroline rambled about colour schemes and table settings but she was distracted. Concerns about her expected houseguest clouded her mind, making it difficult for Bonnie to think about anything else. He was due to arrive later that day and she was more anxious than ever. Her leg bounced nervously under the table and she gripped her knee, willing it to stop.

"Hello? Are you even listening?" Caroline snapped her fingers in front of Bonnie's face.

"Uh…yes."

"So what do you think?"

"Um…about what?"

"Bonnie!"

"I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind." Bonnie shook her head, snapping herself out of her thoughts. "But go on. You have my full attention."

"So as I was saying, Carol doesn't like the colour green. I tried telling her that turquoise is more blue than green anyway but she didn't care. So we need to change the colour scheme. I really can't settle on one so just tell me what you think." She fanned out a collection of colour swatches across the table.

Bonnie made a point of gazing intently at each colour, trailing her finger across the samples. A half-hearted attempt at showing Caroline that she was present and paying attention.

Most of the time she loved her job. Being able to make a bride's dream wedding come true filled her with so much joy. Planning her best friend's wedding was supposed to be fun but Bonnie was too preoccupied to enjoy it.

What should have been a pleasant morning going over wedding details was overshadowed by the impending arrival of her husband's troubled brother. Damon's childhood was complicated, he told her that much. Whenever she asked about his family he would tell her to forget about it. She couldn't press him for details because she was just as secretive about her own family. So it remained an unspoken understanding between them; leave the past in the past.

The sound of manicured fingernails rapping against the table jarred Bonnie from her thoughts. Caroline was growing impatient, clearly irritated by how long she was taking to say something.

"Dusty rose is pretty." Bonnie pointed to a subtle pink hue.

Caroline looked down at the swatch. Her blond ponytail bounced as she nodded. "I like it. Dusty rose it is."

"Are you sure Tyler will be okay with everything being pink?"

"He's given me carte blanche to plan the wedding so I think he'll be fine with it. I love him but he has the worst taste." She scrunched her nose. "We could get married in our backyard and he wouldn't mind."

"That could actually be quite romantic."

Caroline's jaw dropped, offended by the suggestion. "I am Caroline Forbes. I can't get married outdoors. It's just wrong."

Bonnie giggled and raised her hands in surrender. "Fine. Bad idea."

Caroline started flipping through pages of her binder. "I've also been rethinking the centrepieces. I just don't know if dahlias go with the whole atmosphere."

Bonnie had worked with some neurotic brides before but none of them compared to her best friend. Caroline's extravagant taste added to the fact that the groom was the mayor's son, meant that there were a lot of expectations and demands Bonnie had to fulfil.

This was probably the biggest wedding she had ever planned and she was determined to do a good job. It was going to be a grand, publicised event with almost half the town in attendance; nothing at all like her own simple wedding. An intimate ceremony in their living room with just a few close friends. Neither Bonnie nor Damon had much in the way of family. Neither of them really cared. All that mattered was that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

Bonnie's thoughts drifted to her husband's estranged brother once again. Having no idea what to expect, she found herself running through all the possibilities of what he could be like. Each figment her mind conjured was more unpleasant than the last.

"If Carol complains about one more thing, I'm uninviting her. I don't care if she's his mother. She's way too picky about everything; it's like every decision I make is wrong. She obviously hates me. "

Bonnie's attention was brought back to the present situation when she realised Caroline had stopped talking and was now looking at her expectantly.

Not wanting her friend to know that she had zoned out again, she decided to take a shot and say the one thing Caroline always liked to hear.

"I'm sure you're right, Care." She said as sincerely as possible.

"What?" Caroline gasped. "You think she hates me?"

Hiding her face in her hands, Bonnie groaned "No, of course not. I'm sorry."

Caroline's expression softened. "Okay you've been distracted all morning. Something is bothering you." There was no longer any irritation in her voice. Just concern for her best friend. "What is going on?"

Bonnie stared down at the table, her fingers drumming on the lacquered surface. "It's nothing really. Damon's brother is coming to stay with us for a while and I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"Damon has a brother? I've been friends with him since college. How did I not know that?"

"He doesn't like to talk about it. They haven't seen each other in years and I've never even met him. All I know is they have a complicated family history."

"Oooh. That sounds juicy." Caroline's eyes widened in excitement. "Tell me more."

"I don't know much about it but basically Damon's father cheated on his mother with this other woman and they had a son together. He and Damon were pretty close growing up but then he left town like ten years ago. From what I've heard, he's not a good guy."

"So that's what you're worried about. You think he's trouble?"

"I don't know. There's just too much mystery surrounding him. Like where has he been all this time? Why is he coming back to town now?"

"And more importantly, is he hotter than Damon?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes at her friend's playfulness.

"But seriously, whatever he's like I'm sure you can handle him." Caroline smiled reassuringly. "Besides, how bad can he be?"

Bonnie tried not to think about that question, she would find out soon enough.

x

"Still driving the old Camaro huh? Has it always been blue? I remember it being black." Kai took a big slurp of his iced coffee. "Oh wait, now I remember. It was Mason who had the black Camaro. Is he still around here?"

"Why don't we listen to some music?" Damon turned the radio on, tired of his brother's incessant talking. Kai made a gagging noise as an upbeat pop song started playing. He fiddled with the radio knob, flicking through the stations, unable to settle on one.

"Enough of that." Damon switched the radio off. "What were you doing in Mist Haven all this time?"

Kai shrugged. "Nothing much." He said as he propped his feet up on the dashboard.

"You were there for two years. Something must have held your attention." Damon's eyes remained fixed on the road in front of him, unwilling to look at the man in the passenger seat.

"Have you been checking up on me? I'm flattered to know you still care."

"You never stayed anywhere longer than three months. I got your postcards from all the places you visited. Then two years ago they just stopped. I figured you settled down and found the home you were looking for."

"Home." Kai scoffed. "No. I found something much better; a city crawling with witches. And witches know all kinds of things. I spent some time there doing some research. Finally I realised everything I was looking for was right here in Mystic Falls."

"Fine but I still don't get why you insisted on staying with me."

"Believe me, playing house with you and your happy little family was not my first choice either but I think it might the only way for me to get what I need."

Damon didn't respond, hoping the silence would spur him on. Maybe if he kept Kai talking long enough, he would reveal his agenda without even realising it.

Kai twirled his straw, poking at the larger chunks of ice at the bottom of the cup. "When I was in Mist Haven I learned more about ancestral magic. I thought if I came back here to the place where my mother lived, I might be able to harness it. There might be something she left behind like a grimoire or a diary or something that could tell me more about the Parker family."

"So that's why you came back here, you just want more magic."

"It's not the only reason. I missed my big bro." He playfully punched Damon's arm. "And I want to make up for everything I did."

"You can't." Damon replied sadly.

"I have to try." Kai's tongue wriggled around the straw before he captured it between his lips and took a noisy sip.

"I don't get it. Before, you wanted nothing to do with your witch heritage. What changed?" Damon asked, trying to steer the conversation away from their unfortunate past.

"I was wrong. In all the time I spent travelling I tried to find other people like me but there's no one like me. Witches and vampires don't procreate and I'm starting to think there's a reason for that. It goes against the laws of nature. I'm an aberration, an abomination."

"Yeah yeah yeah, I've heard all of this before. Page 10 out of Lily and Joshua's less than nurturing guide to parenting." Finally, Damon turned to look his brother in the eye. "You don't actually believe that."

"Maybe I do. Maybe they were right. People like me shouldn't exist. I have no control over my abilities. Compulsion, heightened senses, all that supernatural stuff; it comes and it goes. Don't even get me started on my magic, it's even more unpredictable. See." He lazily flicked his wrist in Damon's direction.

The car swerved and Damon groaned in pain, pressing one hand against his temple. His other hand gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles turning white.

"Dammit, Kai." He muttered through clenched teeth.

"Hey, it worked!" He said excitedly. Then seeing the unimpressed look on Damon's face, he added "Sorry. I wasn't expecting anything to happen, but you see what I mean. It's unpredictable."

Damon glanced at Kai's reflection in the rearview mirror, searching for the brother he used to know. Underneath all the stubble and muscle, that little boy was in there somewhere. It was unnerving to be so close to him now when they had spent a decade apart. Kai's bulkier frame and his air of confidence made him a stranger in his brother's eyes. He was nothing like the scrawny boy Damon used to protect from their father's wrath.

The sound of Kai blowing bubbles into his iced coffee made it difficult for Damon to think and he grimaced at the childish behaviour.

Kai grinned, taking pleasure in his brother's disgust. "So what do you say? Are you going to help me with this?"

"You think you deserve my help?"

"No, but I also know you don't want me to die." His voice was low and serious, having lost it's usual playfulness.

"A bit dramatic don't you think?" Damon quirked his eyebrow up. "You're not dying."

"Who's to say? My existence is essentially a crime against nature. I think my blood is poisoned or something. This might be the end for me."

"I won't let that happen." Damon's eyes met Kai's gaze in the rearview mirror, noting the grim expression on his face before looking away. "Maybe you need more time to gain full control of your abilities. I only came into my vampirism when I was twenty two. Maybe you're just a late bloomer too."

"I'm almost thirty, that can't be it. It doesn't make any sense. Like yesterday I could rip a man's heart out of his chest with my bare hands. Then this morning I couldn't even compel a McDonald's employee to serve me breakfast after 10am. Something is wrong with me."

"Yes something is definitely wrong with you. You're a grown man who still eats at Mcdonald's."

Kai snorted. He turned the radio on and leaned his head against the window. The upbeat music didn't seem so bad anymore.

x

Being back in his old home reminded Kai of all the things he tried so hard to forget. The house was eerily similar to the way it was ten years ago. It was almost as if Damon had tried to preserve their childhood together by keeping everything exactly as it was when Kai left. Maybe that way he could pretend nothing had changed and his brother was still with him.

"Bonnie!" Damon called out.

"I'm in here!"

Damon followed the voice into the kitchen, leaving Kai alone in the living room.

He plopped onto the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

For the most part the living room seemed unchanged but the little succulents, lilac curtains, and scented candles all suggested someone else had made themselves at home there. It felt brighter than he remembered, more warm and inviting.

Kai picked up one of the patterned throw pillows and hugged it to his chest. As he looked around the room he tried to pick out all the unfamiliar items, like a game of spot the difference. It was all he could do to keep himself from sinking into the quicksand of memories that threatened to consume him.

Damon still hadn't returned from the kitchen and Kai was starting to feel a little bored so he decided to do some exploring. On his way out of the living room, something caught his attention and he stopped to examine it. There were five blue lines drawn on the doorframe to mark someone's increasing height; the highest one being level with his waist.

Kai heard footsteps approaching behind him. He turned around to face Damon and his wife. When he saw her, Kai's mouth curved into a smile. With his cold eyes and sharp jaw, the happy expression seemed out of place on his elegant face. A muscle twitched in his cheek, his instinctive grin disappearing almost as fast as it appeared.

She extended her hand towards him. "I'm Bonnie. It's nice to meet you." Her green eyes matched his steely gaze.

He shook her hand. "Kai."

He let go of her hand quickly but couldn't tear his eyes away from hers. It was almost overwhelming, like he had caught a glimpse of something he shouldn't be seeing and yet he was unable to look away.

"Uncle Kai!" A little boy ran up to him and wrapped his arms around Kai's legs. His body tensed and he grit his teeth. He awkwardly patted the boy's head and twisted himself out of the embrace.

Bonnie put her arm around the child's shoulder. "This is our son, Micah."

The boy grinned at Kai. It wasn't exactly Damon's signature smirk, but it had a similar cheeky quality. There were multicoloured paint splotches in his hair, on his hands, and on his clothes.

"He's working on an art project for school." Bonnie said as she picked bits of dried paint from his dark hair.

Kai smoothed the material of his thick, black coat and grimaced when he saw the splash of yellow paint on one of the sleeves.

Bonnie's gaze shifted between the two brothers. "Dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes." Then looking at Kai she asked, "You're not like a vegetarian or something, are you?"

"Uh no, but I'm not hungry. I just want to go to bed." He fiddled with the collar of his coat.

"Oh okay." She held on to Damon's arm, digging her nails into his bicep for good measure. "Damon will get you set up in the guest bedroom."

x

The guest bedroom was technically Damon's old room. Kai smiled smugly. When they were younger, Damon's bedroom used to be off limits and now there he was helping his brother get settled in. Kai was curious to see what his room looked like. He wondered if Damon had tried to keep it frozen in time like the rest of the house or if he had changed it completely because it served as a painful reminder of the brother he lost.

"It feels weird being here." Kai sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Damon looked through the cupboard. "I think I'd actually prefer my old room."

"That's Micah's room now." Damon tossed a blanket on the bed. "He likes that it's always a little cold in there."

"I liked that too." He sighed and leaned back on the bed.

"Want me to tuck you in?"

Kai snorted. "Goodnight, Damon."

"Goodnight." He flashed a small smile before leaving.

Kai took his coat and boots off but didn't bother changing into pyjamas. He crawled underneath the covers and wriggled around until he made himself comfortable.

As he drifted off to sleep, thoughts about Bonnie floated around his mind. The heart-shaped face, the full lips, the unmistakable green eyes; he had seen her before. There was no doubt in his mind she was the woman he had been looking for. Kai knew she would be somewhere in Mystic Falls but he didn't think he would find her so soon. He also didn't think she would be married to his brother.

x

A/N: Not a lot of bonkai I know, but it's just set up. I actually had fun writing this. I'm really just doing it for my own satisfaction but thought maybe other people might enjoy it too. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think:)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm not sure if this was clear before but, while vampires have all the same cool powers as on the show, they age normally like humans. Also, I'm sorry this took so long. I have no excuses so I'm just going to say I hope it's worth the wait and thank you for sticking around!

x

Bonnie took her time getting out of bed. The space next to her was empty but still warm. Damon must have woken up just before she did. Feeling cozy and well-rested, she wanted nothing more than to lie in bed for the rest of the day. It was the best sleep she'd had all week; dreamless and uninterrupted.

She heard the faint pounding of water, and still in her sleepy daze, Bonnie dragged herself out of bed and towards the bathroom. The steam emitting from the shower made her skin feel hot and she quickly slipped out of her nightdress. Bonnie pulled the curtain back. Her stomach fluttered at the sight of Damon. He smirked and pulled her under the warm water.

His mouth curved into a half-smile. "Morning."

"Morning." Bonnie smiled back.

Damon swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "So I got a call from the office yesterday. One of my clients didn't show up in court."

Her eyes snapped up at the mention of work. Most of the time his job involved sitting at a desk and shuffling papers around, but sometimes a client would jump bail and he would have to track them down. It happened more often than either of them liked.

"I have a lead that suggests he's in Doveport. I'll be back before you know it." Every time he said it, it felt like a lie.

Bonnie shook her head. "You're not going to Doveport."

"It's a really important case."

"You're not going to Doveport." Even though her tone was firm, she was filled with doubt. Damon was unpredictable. Usually he just left with nothing but a hastily scribbled note to explain his absence. "You can't disappear for days on end. I need you here. Micah needs you here."

He ran his hand up and down her back, tracing soothing patterns. "I hate it just as much as you do but it's a part of my job."

"I don't want things to be like they were before. When your job came first and your family second."

Damon wiped a hand over his face and sighed. He hated seeing Bonnie unhappy, especially when he was the cause. "You and Micah come first. Always."

"Then prove it. Don't go." The argument forming on his lips died when she pulled him towards her, closing the space between them, pressing her body against his. "Don't go."

He winced at the desperation in her voice. Asking for her permission to go to Doveport seemed like the right thing to do, a way to show Bonnie that he was trying to be more considerate of her feelings, but he was starting to regret it. What was he thinking? He couldn't leave her now.

She pressed her mouth to his wet skin, kissing his neck, then his chest, then his stomach.

Damon let out a groan as her lips trailed lower. "I'm not going anywhere."

x

Bonnie remembered the way Kai looked at her when they first met, like they were old friends seeing each other after a long time apart. The flicker of a smile - there and gone, so fast she might have imagined it. She didn't like his smile. It was too big for his face. Too unabashed. What unsettled her more was how quickly it disappeared, his expression hardening like he was upset that she didn't recognise him.

"So where do you think he went?" Bonnie looked up from her bowl of oatmeal and giggled as she watched Damon goofily dancing around the kitchen.

He stopped singing into a spatula and replied. "I don't know."

"Does he still have any friends here?"

"I don't know."

"When do you think he'll be back?"

"I don't know."

"What do you think he could be doing?" Before he could respond, Bonnie answered her own question. "You don't know."

He flipped another pancake onto his plate and perched himself next to her at the kitchen island. "Look, I know just as much as you do. When I woke up this morning he was already gone."

"You don't think that's a little weird? It's like he's trying to avoid us or something." Bonnie picked a raspberry from his plate and popped it into her mouth.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"So he didn't tell you anything about what he's doing here?"

Damon playfully smacked her hand when she reached for another raspberry. "We didn't talk much yesterday."

"Really? During the two hour long drive back from the airport, you didn't talk much?"

"You're starting to sound a little - "

She kicked him in the shin. "Don't say paranoid."

"At least you're self-aware."

Bonnie was about to kick him again when she heard the front door close. When he entered the kitchen, Kai nodded stiffly in their direction before filling a glass with water and gulping it down. His breaths came in short puffs and his hair was plastered to his skin.

"You're back. Are you hungry?" Damon pointed to the plate in front of him. "I made pancakes."

Kai tugged at the sweaty vest that clung to his chest. "I should probably shower first."

x

Kai hoped a hot shower would make him feel better. As he stood under the scalding water, the bone-cracking ache in his body seemed to ease. He tried to make sense of the morning.

When Kai woke up, he was surprised to find that he had full control of his magic and vampire senses. He decided to go for a run, eager to make use of his newfound energy and curious to see how much his hometown had changed. There was also the added bonus of not having to talk to Bonnie and Damon.

For the better part of the morning he felt like himself again. Strong. Self-assured. In control. That was until he passed by the Lockwood mansion and he just couldn't help himself. He had wasted valuable time and energy, and for what? To mess with some jerk he knew in high school? He should have known exerting himself like that would have consequences.

Kai was about halfway home when his luck ran out. One minute he was whizzing through Mystic Falls in a blur, and the next he was lying face-down on Wickery Bridge. Trembling and cursing, he pushed himself up onto his feet. He shivered, feeling a chill run through his body. His heart was beating so fast, he could feel it thumping in his throat. Kai wiped the sweat from his brow and then ran a hand through his hair only to find that it was damp. His tank top was damp too; he was sweating all over.

The walk home was painful. His entire body ached, like his blood had turned to glass and shattered inside him. He might as well have been dead already.

But the pain was good. It reminded him of his purpose. Keeping himself alive had to be his first priority. Nothing else mattered. No more distractions.

The bathroom had filled with steam and his skin was red and raw. He turned the water off. The stabbing pain had dulled to a quiet throb.

The window in the guest bedroom was small but Kai cracked it open and stood in front of it, enjoying the cool air. He slipped into a henley top and sweatpants, wincing as the material rubbed against his sensitive skin. He was towelling his wet hair when he heard someone knock on the door and seconds later Damon burst into the room.

"Why even bother knocking?" Kai tossed the towel on the floor, earning a disapproving look from Damon.

"Where were you?"

"I went for a run."

Damon folded his arms. "Am I supposed to believe that's all you did? You've been gone all morning."

"Do you think it's easy maintaining this?" Kai grinned and patted his torso.

Damon opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He uncrossed his arms and his fingers drummed against his thighs. His gaze flitted around the room before settling on Kai again.

"Are you all right?" He spoke the words softly and slowly, like he was talking to a child.

"What?" Kai sputtered. The tenderness in Damon's voice caught him by surprise. He expected anger, a snide comeback, endless questions about where he was all morning. Nothing could have prepared him for his brother's restrained concern.

Damon watched him, waiting. "You look a little feverish." He explained.

"I'm fine." Kai replied. It sounded a lot more dismissive than he intended but Damon still stood there, shifting from one foot to the other. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small object.

"I want to help you. We'll figure this out together, but you have to be honest with me." As Damon's fingers turned the object over and over, Kai thought he saw flashes of a key. "No secrets."

"No secrets." The lie rolled off his tongue easily.

"Okay. Come with me."

x

Kai never had the nerve to enter his father's study before, and even though Joshua was long gone, a queasy feeling settled in his stomach as the key clicked in the lock.

Damon pushed the door open. "I used it as a home office for a while but now we just store stuff in here."

As Kai moved further into the room, he felt his throat begin to constrict. He had no reason to feel nervous and yet he inched towards the window on tip-toes like an intruder afraid of being discovered. When he opened the curtains, light filtered in and the musty room seemed to change shape in front of him.

It looked more like a haphazard garage sale than a study. Kai never cared much for neatness, he didn't mind a little chaos, but the amount of clutter he saw was overwhelming. It was a miracle he made it all the way across the room without tripping on any of the numerous knick-knacks that were scattered all around. He couldn't imagine his dour father hard at work amidst all that junk. It was so disorderly, so undisciplined, so unlike him. Kai started to breathe easily again.

There was a collection of cardboard boxes in one corner of the room. Damon wiped layers of dust away to reveal labels written in his curly handwriting. He lifted the flaps and peeked into the boxes, sometimes coughing when dust flew up in his face. "So what exactly are you looking for? A magic wand? A potion?"

"I don't know. Anything that might have belonged to my mother. Maybe a family artefact or a journal or something." A grimoire would be ideal but Kai didn't bother mentioning it. If his mother had one, he doubted he'd be lucky enough to find it there.

"This one is full of books." Damon lazily tossed a box across the room to Kai.

Kai stumbled backwards as the box hit him in the chest. He tried to grab hold of it but it was too heavy. It slipped out of his grasp and landed with a thud, books spilling out onto the floor.

Damon grimaced. "Oh right, I forgot. You're magically diseased."

"Asshole." He muttered under his breath.

Unlike his brother, Damon's vampire senses worked perfectly. "I heard that."

Kai turned the box upside down, letting the rest of its contents pour out in a heap.

It would be a lot harder to practise ancestral magic when he didn't know who his ancestors were. All he had was the Parker name and any remnants of his mother's belongings that he hoped to find. Throughout his childhood, there were moments when Kai thought about running away and looking for his family but he never had the courage. When he finally did leave home, he'd spent some time trying to find them but it was pointless.

Witches were sneaky. If they didn't want you to find something, they had a way of making sure you never did. Still, he was determined. He poked through encyclopaedias and tattered copies of classic novels, looking for something that might be useful. Usually he would be able to sense magical objects easily but he couldn't rely on his supernatural abilities anymore.

Kai flipped through each book, checking for secret compartments, scribbles in the margins, any clues his mother might have left behind. It was taxing work but ancestral magic was his only hope of saving himself so he kept going, hardly noticing the minutes passing by.

Damon spent most of the time looking through the jumble of junk that cluttered the room. He had too little knowledge of magic to be of any use but he stayed anyway. Kai was glad for the company although he could have done without Damon's commentary as he reminisced and rediscovered some of his old possessions.

When he chuckled particularly loudly, Kai looked up from the book in his lap. "What?"

Damon held up a flowing white dress dotted with tulips. "Bonnie's maternity dress." He stroked the material fondly and when he spoke again, his voice was serious and low. "About Bonnie, you can't talk about things like witches and vampires around her." He hesitated. "She doesn't know what we are."

"She doesn't know you're a vampire? How have you been hiding that from her?"

"A little bit of compulsion goes a long way." Seeing the frown on Kai's face, he added "I don't do it any more than I have to. It's for her own good."

"Witches can't be compelled." He said quietly. The words felt like ice in his throat.

Damon's eyebrows scrunched together. "So?"

Kai shook his head "Nothing."

x

Bonnie poked the calzones with a fork. She had left them in the oven too long and they were overcooked. Why did she have to answer Caroline's call? Bonnie had been so caught up in her drama, she forgot to check on the calzones.

Micah was already seated at the table, eager to have dinner with his uncle. She laid four plates down and then planted a kiss on the top of his head. Micah patted his hair, making sure she hadn't ruined his hairstyle. The wispy strands that usually framed his face were swept into a neat wave, similar to Kai's. He had begged her to style it that way for him, and even though she was reluctant at first, she had to admit he looked even cuter than usual.

Bonnie admired his childish enthusiasm. How could he be so affectionate towards someone who was basically a stranger? She wished she could be as friendly and optimistic, but she knew better.

Even as a child, Bonnie was always distrustful of people. Damon called it paranoia. She preferred to think of it as a kind of gift. Her first impressions of people were never wrong. She always looked beneath the surface, beneath the polished smiles and nice words, until she discovered a person's true intentions.

Her ability to read people was unwavering and she knew that Kai was not as harmless as he appeared. She would try to be nice to him for Damon's sake, but she was not going to let her guard down.

Bonnie finished setting the table and startled when Micah exclaimed "Uncle Kai!"

When she turned around to face him, Kai stopped in his tracks and awkwardly waved. "Uh hi."

He was wearing his black coat again. She hadn't noticed him come in, and judging by the way he tensed and his cheeks pinked, he didn't want to be noticed.

"Hi." She gestured for him to take a seat. "I made calzones. Damon said they were your favourite."

"They are but I was actually on my way out." He turned to leave, eager to avoid dinner with the Salvatores, but he bumped straight into Damon.

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Sit." His voice was low and rough, almost a snarl.

Kai had heard him use that tone only a handful of times but he knew better than to argue with it. Begrudgingly, he slumped into a chair. He felt Bonnie's eyes on him again and he suddenly became aware of the weight of his tongue in his mouth. He tried to avoid her gaze, which was difficult because she was sitting right opposite him.

They ate in silence for a while until Bonnie said "So Kai, what do you do for a living?"

He took his time chewing, trying to come up with an answer, swallowing before speaking. "I'm an antiques dealer." It was true enough.

"That sounds interesting." If her tense posture and clenched jaw were any indication, Bonnie was just as uncomfortable as he was, but he found her stiff politeness entertaining.

"It can be." He watched Bonnie out of the corner of his eye, as she gathered her hair in a ponytail and then let it tumble over her shoulder in soft waves.

"That's actually the reason he's back in Mystic Falls." Damon quirked an eyebrow at Kai. "For work."

"That's right." He nodded, confirming the lie. "I'm looking to acquire a very valuable piece."

His eyes met Bonnie's across the table. He stiffened at the implication in his own words but she seemed unfazed by it, her expression unreadable, quietly chewing, as she stared back at him. Her gaze dropped from his eyes to his lips, lingering there for a moment. Then she looked away quickly, almost guiltily.

"Who were you talking to on the phone?" Damon asked.

"It was Caroline. The strangest thing happened." Bonnie's eyebrows furrowed together as she relayed the conversation. "This morning Tyler found his car completely dismantled. It was taken apart and all the pieces were just left there."

A small smile tugged at the corner of Kai's mouth and he tried to hide it behind his hand.

"That is strange." Damon cast a suspicious glance in his direction.

"It really is. You know how much he loves that car. Besides Caroline, it's like the only thing he cares about." She had a distant look in her eyes, clearly still concerned about her friends.

Kai swiped marinara sauce from his plate and licked his finger with a satisfied sigh. Next to him, Micah did the same and then grinned up at him. Kai was about to point out the sauce that surrounded his mouth, but he was distracted by a gentle surge of magic that pricked his skin. He recognised it immediately. It was the feeling he had been craving but it disappeared quickly, the pleasant tingle fading away, leaving him empty again.

x

Kai made a quick escape to his room before dessert, not that he considered banana bread to be a legitimate dessert. He flopped onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

At dinner, he was sure he felt the pull of magic but he couldn't really connect with it. It was weak but it was there, like honey slipping through his fingers. He had never heard of a witch who could be compelled. It was impossible, but after all the unlikely things that had happened to him lately, Kai didn't find it so hard to believe that there could be an exception.

Bonnie was not exactly what he expected, but prophecies were complicated. They were full of riddles and double meanings, and they never panned out the way you expected them to. Knowing all this, he still let the cursed words guide him back to Mystic Falls.

Mist Haven provided an ample supply of witches, but they weren't the most interesting supernatural beings the city had to offer. When Kai first heard the prophecy, it was from an oracle. He had wandered into her flower shop one day, unaware of the kind of magic he was about to find there. She had smiled almost knowingly, like she had been waiting for him. Kai thought about her often. The coppery red colour of her hair, the gold flecks in her brown eyes, the rasp of her voice when she whispered in his ear.

He reached into the inner pocket of his coat and carefully pulled the picture out. He held it up to his nose. It still smelled a little bit like her. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the sweet scent of flowers that she always had after hours spent in her shop.

He ran his finger along the jagged edge where someone had torn it in half. The woman in the picture smiled happily. Her eyes sparkled and her head was tossed back slightly, like she might have been laughing. The sun setting in the background cast a soft glow on her skin and grains of sand clung to parts of her face and hair. He assumed the picture was taken at the beach. Someone had their arm around her, a heavily-ringed hand resting on her bare shoulder. Without the other half of the picture, Kai had no way of knowing who it was. He took one last look at it before putting it back into his coat pocket.

The woman's charming features were still imprinted on his mind, as familiar as his own. With her green eyes and heart-shaped face, she looked almost exactly like Bonnie, except she was smiling. Kai had never seen Bonnie smile, but he imagined she would look just as beautiful.

x

A/N: *michael b. jordan voice* Is this your bonkai? So yeah again, not a lot of bonkai interactions but we're getting there! Thanks for reading and let me know what you think:)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Just a quick note, on the show Mason is Tyler's uncle but here they're brothers:)

x

Kai rubbed his eyes, waking up from his sleepy daze. The room slowly came into focus, now very familiar to him. He had been back home for almost a full week and had fallen into a comfortable rhythm, spending most of his time in the study looking for information on his family. Sometimes it would get lonely being cooped up in there, poring over books upon books, all by himself. Damon had become increasingly busy with work and was hardly around, and it's not like he could ask Bonnie for help. It would be so much easier if he had magic. Since that first dinner, he hadn't sensed magic again - not his own, and not Bonnie's either. He could hardly remember what it felt like.

His stomach growled. Still in his pyjamas, Kai made his way to the kitchen. He was surprised to find the entire Salvatore family there - Damon flipping pancakes by the stove, Bonnie leaning against the counter, Micah perched at the island. It was unusual for them to be at home so late in the morning. Kai liked waking up to an empty house and watching cartoons while he ate his cereal.

If he weren't so hungry, he might have made some excuse to leave but his stomach growled again. He reluctantly sat next to Micah. Kai knew the boy had some kind of affinity for him, but he had never been very fond of children. He noticed Micah was dressed in a soccer jersey and shorts instead of his usual school uniform, and then he realised it was Saturday.

Damon placed a stack of pancakes and a cup of black coffee in front of him. "You still like it with one sugar right?"

Kai smiled, gratified to know that he remembered, and nodded.

Damon's phone started ringing in his pocket. He fished it out and disappeared into the living room to answer it. Usually, you didn't need vampire hearing to be able to eavesdrop on Damon's conversations. He was a loud person by nature. His booming voice could be heard clearly even if you weren't in the same room as him. Kai tried to listen to what he was saying but he quickly gave up. Whatever Damon was talking about, he really wanted to keep it a secret.

Kai eagerly cut into the stack of pancakes and shovelled a huge forkful into his mouth. He gagged at the unexpected, unmistakable flavour of his least favourite fruit.

Turning to Micah, he asked. "What is in these?" The boy shrugged and continued eating his pancakes.

He was surprised when Bonnie answered "They're Damon's two ingredient pancakes. The batter is just mashed bananas and eggs."

Kai set his knife and fork down and gulped his coffee, hoping to get the taste out of his mouth. The hot liquid scorched his tongue but he took a few more sips anyway.

When Damon came back into the kitchen, Kai noticed his face had turned a ghostly white colour and his forehead was creased with concern. He shoved the phone into his pocket and gave a quick half-smile, his mask of coolness slipping back into place.

"How are you liking those pancakes?" Damon looked down at Kai's plate and frowned. "You've barely touched them."

Kai begrudgingly took a bite. He chewed slowly and then swallowed. "They're delicious."

Damon was still watching him and Kai dutifully ate another bite of the eggy banana atrocity.

The corner of Bonnie's mouth quirked up, amused, and he noted the bowl of oatmeal in her hand.

She glanced at her watch and then put her bowl in the sink. "Time to go."

Micah climbed down the stool and shouldered his sports bag, eager to get to soccer practice. Bonnie kissed Damon's cheek and then they were out the door.

Damon rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows and started washing the dishes. He had been so busy with work lately, this was the first time in a while that the brothers were alone together. There was so much Kai wanted to say, so much he couldn't say in front of Bonnie.

When he was sure he heard Bonnie's car leaving, Kai cleared his throat and said "I was surprised when you answered my call. I thought you would never want to see me again."

Damon had his back to Kai as he washed the dishes. His shoulders moved up and down in a shrug.

"You didn't have to answer my call or pick me up from the airport or let me stay with you. So why did you?"

Damon turned the tap off and a tense silence hung between them. Then he turned around to face Kai and dried his hands on his jeans. A pained expression clouded his face.

"Just be grateful I did." He answered at last.

After pouring himself a cup of coffee, Damon perched himself next to Kai.

His answer was less than satisfactory but Kai didn't press on. It was clearly a topic Damon didn't want to talk about. Kai was grateful for his brother's generosity and had wanted to mention it the day he arrived, but the words seemed to catch in his throat. Please and thank you were niceties he reserved for strangers, and no matter how much time they spent apart, Damon would never be a stranger.

He knew if he didn't say something, it would eat away at him. The longer he waited, the harder it became. No matter how difficult it was for him to say, Damon had to know that his kindness was appreciated.

"Thank you, Damon."

When he didn't respond, Kai worried that he had said it too softly for him to hear, but then Damon nudged his arm with his elbow. "Don't mention it."

Kai lightly punched his arm in return.

Suddenly, Damon slammed into the wall with exceptional speed. He recovered quickly, without a scratch on him, but there was a slight dent in the wall where he had hit it. Before Kai could register what happened, he felt a stinging sensation in his chest and his eyes screwed shut. He groaned as his head slumped onto the countertop and he clawed at the marble surface.

Kai was aware of Damon talking to him but he couldn't figure out what he was saying. Blood pounded in his ears and even though Damon was sitting right next to him again, his words sounded like they were coming from far away.

When the pain started to subside, Kai opened his eyes. He sat up straight and wiped his brow on the sleeve of his shirt. His palms were clammy and he felt sweat dripping down his back. "I didn't mean to do that." He mumbled.

"I know. Are you all right?" Damon's voice sounded concerned but there was a hint of annoyance in it too.

"I'm fine."

"It's getting worse. Isn't it?"

"I'm fine." Kai repeated.

Then he went on to tell Damon everything, starting with the incident on Wickery Bridge and then recounting all the other times he had lost control like that. He thought it would help if he talked to someone about it, but it didn't. It only made him realise how afraid he truly was. There was still so much he didn't know about what was happening to him and Damon, with his limited knowledge of magic, had no helpful suggestions to offer.

The conversation shifted to their time apart. Kai started with the first year when he left home at nineteen. Damon's discomfort didn't go unnoticed. How much longer could they avoid talking about what happened? But maybe it was for the best. There was nothing Kai could say that would make everything right again. If Damon wanted to pretend it never happened, the least he could do was go along with it.

Kai gave him a rather detailed summary of the past ten years, ranging from strange encounters he had in his travels to the most mundane anecdotes. He did most of the talking while Damon listened intently, offering the occasional "Really?" and "No way." when Kai told him about some of his more questionable experiences.

Damon was an excellent listener. He sat very still, taking it all in. He had a way of showing you that he was paying attention. You could see it in his face, in the way his eyes widened and his eyebrows lifted. Kai talked on and on, but made sure to leave out the part about the prophecy. Eventually, Damon was all caught up.

"That's when I realised ancestral magic was my only hope so I decided to come back home." Kai concluded.

"But you haven't had any luck with it yet?"

He shook his head. "I'm starting to think it might be a dead end."

"We'll find another way." Typical Damon. Always so sure of himself. He was incapable of giving up, no matter how hopeless the situation was. In anyone else it would have been an annoying trait, but in Damon it was admirable.

Kai didn't share his optimism, but he nodded anyway. His coffee was now ice cold and he drained it in one big gulp. "If there were a way for you to help me, would you do it no matter the cost?"

Damon thought for a moment and then answered "Yes."

x

Kai's eyes fluttered as he woke up. Drool dribbled from the corner of his mouth and he wiped it on the back of his hand. There was a slight ache crawling up his spine from sleeping on the uncomfortable couch. He was in the living room, lying flat on his back with Bonnie's dream journal on his chest. He found it while rifling through the boxes in the study and couldn't resist taking it.

Bonnie wrote about being chased through the woods by a big dog, with its mouth drawn back in a snarl and blood dripping down its muzzle. It seemed to be a recurring dream because she mentioned it on several pages. Sometimes, Damon was there too. He would be running with her or he would dive in front of the animal to protect her, but there were a few times when he turned into the beast himself.

Kai startled when he heard echoey laughter coming from the adjacent dining room. Before Damon left to take of some work errand, he had mentioned something about Bonnie having a meeting with the florist that evening. How long had they been there? How long had he been asleep? Kai glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost 5pm. He couldn't see them over the back of the couch, which faced away from the dining room, and he assumed they hadn't seen him there either.

He stayed still, listening to them talk. A shrill, nagging voice seemed to dominate the conversation and Kai figured it must be the bride. All he knew about Caroline was that she was Tyler Lockwood's fiancée and Damon's friend from college. Every now and then, he recognised Bonnie offering calming reassurances and suggestions in her honeyed tone. The third voice was more mysterious; low and raspy, with a slight lilt that reminded him of his time in Mist Haven.

Kai decided he would stay in that same stiff position on the couch and wait for them to leave. The pain in his back was preferable to the pain of making small-talk with people he didn't care about. He listened to them go on about flower arrangements and ribbon colours. It wasn't the most thrilling conversational topic but it was bearable, until he started to feel a twisting sensation in his stomach, followed by hunger pangs. Usually when Kai woke up from a nap he liked to have something to eat and, especially after the disappointing breakfast of gluten-free pancakes, he really wanted some proper food. The kitchen was so close but there was no way he could get there without being seen.

When he heard Bonnie excuse herself, he figured it would be the best time to make a quick escape too. Kai swung his legs over the edge of the couch and stood up. He froze when he heard a horrible crunching sound under his boot. He liked to snack while reading and there was an opened bag of pork rinds on the floor, which was probably crushed to bits.

When he turned around, he noticed an assortment of vases filled with flowers on the dining table. The blonde woman stopped talking mid-sentence and stared at him. The other woman finished tying a ribbon around a vase before looking up. She twirled a lock of auburn hair around her finger and smiled.

Kai knew he should say something, maybe introduce himself, but his jaw stiffened and his throat was dry. He gave a small wave and left quickly, stumbling over a rug and bumping his elbow against the doorframe on his way out.

Instead of going to the kitchen like he planned, Kai walked out the front door and sat on the porch steps. His mind was still reeling and he needed the fresh air.

Seeing Cassandra again struck him like a bolt of lightning. What was she doing in Mystic Falls? Kai had met her only once before in Mist Haven, when she told him about the prophecy. He didn't think he would see her again but there she was. Did she tell Bonnie about the prophecy too? It seemed unlikely.

Lost in thought, Kai wasn't aware of the front door opening and closing. The footsteps approaching were so light he didn't hear them but then he felt her presence looming right behind him. A rich scent of flowers filled the air. Kai didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Took you long enough." Cassandra popped a stick of gum into her mouth.

Kai craned his neck to look at her. "What are you doing here?"

She lazily waved her hand in the air. When it became clear she wasn't going to respond, Kai rose to his feet.

Oracles were slippery creatures. He had to keep his wits about him. If he sounded too enthusiastic or desperate, she wouldn't tell him anything. The key was to act casual and let her do the talking.

"You have to tell me where the second half of the picture is." Kai blurted out. "You have to tell me what to do."

So much for being casual. He couldn't help it. There was so much he needed to know. What if she disappeared again? Then he would never get the answers he needed. Desperation had taken over his mind, driving out every logical thought.

"I do not _have_ to do anything." Cassandra continued to chew her gum, making obnoxious snapping sounds as her jaw moved up and down.

Her nonchalance was starting to irk him. "It was your stupid prophecy that brought me back here. You must know something."

"First of all, it is not my prophecy. I am just the messenger." She argued, putting her hands on her hips. "Second of all, you know I am not supposed to get involved."

"Then why are you here?"

Kai kept his eyes on her as she examined her fingernails. He didn't like the way she talked about things, like it was all some kind of inside joke that he wasn't a part of.

He decided to try a different approach, just to get her talking again. "She's married to my brother. Did you know that when you told me about the prophecy?"

Cassandra's lips twisted into a smug smile. "I know everything." She blew her gum into a bubble and then sucked it back in with a loud popping sound.

"So tell me." When she didn't respond, he pressed on. "You obviously want to help me. Why else would you be here? Tell me what you know."

"I cannot help you more than I have already. There are some things you need to figure out yourself." Cassandra folded her arms across her chest. "I am only here because I promised Michelle I would look out for you."

Kai bristled at the mention of his mother. "You knew her?"

"Of course." She rolled her eyes.

For the first time, Kai found himself wondering about her real age. His knowledge of oracles, compared to that of witches and vampires, was rather basic but he heard rumours about them; about immortal beings who could predict the future. Cassandra looked no older than he was, but she could be over a thousand years old for all he knew. That is if the rumours were true. He hoped they were. It sounded like a nice idea; living forever, without the burden of your own mortality. It would certainly solve a lot of his problems.

Kai had enough of her cryptic answers. When she told him about the prophecy, she had given him a glimpse of his destiny and he was desperate for more. If she wanted him to beg, that's what he would do.

"Cassandra, please." His voice wobbled. "What can you tell me about the prophecy?"

"Anything and everything."

"What?"

Getting a straight answer from an oracle was an impossible task and Kai was growing impatient. There was one way he was sure to get the answers he wanted. He hadn't been able to compel people for a while now but just being in the presence of someone with magic made him feel a little bit stronger, and he had to try.

Kai looked into her eyes. His pupils dilated. "Tell me everything you know."

Her expression went blank and Kai inhaled sharply, preparing himself for some long-awaited answers.

Then Cassandra burst out laughing. It was a throaty, harsh-sounding laugh that sent a shiver up his spine. "Good luck, Malachai." She tossed her coppery curls over her shoulder and went back into the house.

Kai sat back down on the porch steps. He stayed there a little while longer, trying to process everything. Cassandra could tell him exactly how to cure himself, where to find his family, and what to do about Bonnie. She could tell him everything he needed to know, but she chose not to. Any fondness he still held for her seemed to dissipate with that realisation.

He became aware of the hunger pangs in stomach, and regretted not bringing the pork rinds with him. Although, he should have been more concerned about leaving Bonnie's dream journal on the couch. If she saw it there, she would know someone had been reading it. In that moment, he was too hungry to worry about anything other than food. Kai didn't want to go back inside so he went for a walk into town.

Not much had changed at the Mystic Grill. It was as dark and musty as he remembered, and appropriately busy for a Saturday evening. The smell of onion rings wafted through the air and Kai's mouth watered. He found a table in a shadowy corner close to the door and flipped through the menu out of habit, even though he already knew what he wanted to order.

Kai looked around for a waiter and tensed when he saw Tyler and Mason Lockwood standing around one of the pool tables. He accidentally caught Tyler's eye and tried to hide behind his menu. Recognition dawned on Tyler's face. He snapped his pool cue in half and followed Kai, who bolted out into the parking lot.

There was no way Kai could take Tyler in a fight, not without his magical abilities, and not without Damon. He crouched behind a car and regretted it immediately. Tyler would be able to sniff him out easily.

"Running away, Salvatore?" Tyler called out. "Looks like your big brother isn't here to protect you this time." Kai could hear his heavy footsteps as he weaved in between the parked cars.

Tyler's eyes were dark and narrowed, burning with anger. He kept sniffing and glancing around. Kai had only been inside the Mystic Grill for a few minutes but the stench of fried food and cigarette smoke lingered around him. The muscles in his legs tightened, he wanted to run. He was still out of sight in his crouched position but he wouldn't be for long. Kai was so worried about dying from whatever magical disease he had, when he could just as easily die from a stake to the heart.

Kai heard another set of footsteps run out of the Mystic Grill. He didn't dare move from his hiding place to see who it was, but the low, modulated voice sounded familiar.

"Ty, stop." Mason put a hand on Tyler's chest. "It's not worth it."

Tyler slapped his arm away. "I'm going to kill that little freak."

"No you're not. If you have any chance of being the next mayor, you can't be seen getting into brawls all the time. Let it go."

Mason's ability to calm Tyler down was almost like a form of magic. If Kai didn't know that they were both werewolves, he might have mistaken it for compulsion.

"Fine." Tyler dropped the stake with a disgruntled growl and they went back inside.

Kai took some deep breaths, then got up and started walking. He didn't know where he was going but he knew he had to get away from there.

Kai wandered around town, looking for another place where he could get a cold beer and some decent onion rings. He paused when something in a shop window caught his eye. When he walked in, the doorbell chimed, and a dark-haired woman appeared from the backroom.

"Can I help you with something?" She smiled and the skin around her blue eyes crinkled.

A thick fog seemed to cloud his mind. He didn't know if the lightheadedness was caused by a lack of food or the tendrils of incense that drifted from one corner of the shop. The citrus smell was pleasant but a little overwhelming. "I was just looking at that necklace in the window." Kai mumbled and vaguely motioned at it.

The woman walked over to the window and removed the necklace from it's casing. "It's beautiful isn't it?" She placed the morganite pendant on the counter.

The stone was round and pink, and about the size of a lentil. Kai ran his thumb over the polished surface. "Is it - "

"Real? No, but who can tell right?" She winked.

Now that he could see the necklace up close, Kai knew it was a fake. The stone had a few gas bubbles and obvious flow lines that appeared in swirly patterns. He wrapped the silver chain around his hand and held the pendant up to the light. It didn't feel heavy enough to be real. The woman's honesty surprised him. He expected some made-up backstory or a badly forged certificate of authentication. The necklace might not be very valuable, but it was still well-made and probably would appear real to most people.

"It has matching earrings. Do you want to see them too?"

Kai nodded, his eyes still fixed on the necklace, and the woman disappeared into the room at the back. He couldn't explain his fascination with the necklace. It was like he had seen it before, but the harder he tried to remember where, the hazier his mind became.

While waiting for her to return with the earrings, Kai looked around and saw a neat pile of reference books. Most of them appeared to be quite old with their worn-out leather covers barely containing the stiff sheets of paper inside them. There was one book that seemed to stand out. It was an english-latin dictionary in almost pristine condition. It looked fairly new, the pages not yet yellowed with age. He picked it up and opened on a random page, covering the english column with his hand to test his knowledge.

Kai remembered having his own english-latin dictionary when he was just starting to practice magic, but it was nothing like the one in his hands. His was filled with coffee stains, doodles, and dog-eared pages. He used to take it everywhere with him until eventually the binding broke and it fell apart. It didn't last very long but fortunately Kai was a quick learner. Most witches' latin vocabularies consisted only of words to be used in spells, but Kai was almost fluent. The long vowels and hard consonants formed easily on his tongue.

The woman came back, holding a small box in her hand, and paused when she saw Kai.

The colour drained from her face. "What are you doing?"

Kai said nothing.

"How did you open that?"

Kai was too confused to respond. He closed the dictionary and put it back on the pile of books. A slight flush crept up his face, turning the tops of his ears red. "I'm sorry." He couldn't think of anything else to say.

The woman squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again, like she was waking herself up from a dream. "Don't be."

She placed the box on the counter and opened it to reveal two pink stones. "What do you think?" He couldn't help noticing that she had lost some of her casual cheeriness, and he felt partly responsible for it.

Kai focused his attention on the earrings. They were identical to the necklace in colour and shape, but smaller in size. "Beautiful" He murmured, although he didn't feel the same kind of attachment to the earrings as he did to the necklace.

Kai's eyes darted to the pile of books again and the woman followed his gaze. "The dictionary belonged to my sister." There was a distant look in her eyes, like she was lost in a memory. He struggled to think of an appropriate response, but luckily he didn't have to because she seemed eager to move past the moment herself. "Can I ring this up for you?"

When Kai walked into the shop he had no intention of actually purchasing the necklace. He couldn't explain his interest in it. Delicate pink jewellery wasn't really his style and he wasn't thinking about gifting it to someone else either. All he knew was if he didn't buy it, someone else might and then he would never see it again. As impractical as it was to buy something he had no use for, he wanted the necklace, and more than that, he didn't want anyone else to have it.

Kai patted the pockets of his pants only to find them empty. Disappointment washed over him when he realised that he left his wallet in his coat pocket.

A look of understanding crossed the woman's face. "Why don't you just take it?" He politely declined but she was adamant. "And take the dictionary too if you want."

"Oh no, I can't accept that." Kai wanted the necklace, but the woman's kindness unnerved him. No one does nice things for other people without expecting something in return.

"I insist. They're all just painful reminders I'd rather get rid of." She looked older with her features set in a sombre expression. The lines around her eyes and mouth were more obvious than before and Kai guessed she must be well into her forties. "You'd be doing me a favour."

It was the necklace Kai wanted. He didn't really care for the other things, but it seemed rude to refuse them when she was being so generous. "Are you sure?" He asked, still a little skeptical. Maybe she really was just a kind-hearted person trying to do a good deed, but he didn't like the idea of owing anyone anything.

"Absolutely." She managed a small, tight-lipped smile as she packed the jewellery and book into a bag. "What did you say your name was?"

"Kai." He paused. "Salvatore." Now that he was back in Mystic Falls, that was the name people knew him by. It sounded unfamiliar. After leaving home, he had grown accustomed to using his mother's maiden name. He thought it suited him better.

There was a slight downward turn of her mouth and her eyebrows drew together in a frown. "I'm Jo Saltzman." She replied quickly, almost as an afterthought, when Kai looked at her expectantly.

Kai took the bag from her and made a mental note to pay her back when he had the chance. "Thanks again." He said before leaving. The doorbell jingled as he closed the door behind him.

x

On the walk back home Kai's stomach twisted itself into a knot and made unspeakable rumbling sounds. He was so busy trying to process the weirdness of the shop, his mission to find food had been pushed to the back of his mind. It was starting to get dark, and a cool breeze whirled around him. Kai shivered, wishing he had his thick, black coat.

Damon's car still wasn't in the driveway. Whatever little work errand he had to take care of seemed to be taking a lot longer than expected.

As he got closer Kai noticed Bonnie wrapped up in a blanket, sitting on the porch swing. He crept up the steps slowly, trying not to make any sound, as if he could slip past her without being seen. Bonnie's face looked pale in the dim glow of the porch light and her eyes were glassy, like she might have been crying.

Kai paused when he got to the welcome mat in front of the door. He bit his lip, trying to decide if he should say something or not. Normally, people talking about their emotional problems made him uncomfortable but his curiosity got the better of him.

"What's wrong?"

Bonnie sniffled. "Like you care."

"You're right. I don't." Wishing he hadn't said anything, Kai reached for the doorknob. "Goodnight."

"Wait." She called out in a croaky voice and he turned around. After an uncomfortably long pause, she spoke again. "Did Damon tell you where he was going?"

"No." Kai awkwardly leaned against the doorframe and added. "But I'm sure he'll be back soon."

Bonnie handed him a crumpled ball of paper. He unfurled it and recognised Damon's curly handwriting. The note was short, just an apology and a joke about someone called Ms Cuddles which Kai didn't understand.

Damon was the most reliable person he knew. Would he really leave without telling Bonnie where he was going or when he was coming back? Maybe Kai didn't know his brother as well as he thought he did. Not anymore.

Unsure of what to say, he gave the note back to her.

"Where did you go shopping?" Bonnie asked, looking at the bag in his hand.

Kai thought for a moment. He had been so fascinated by the strangeness of the shop, he hadn't paid attention to the name.

He read the neatly printed label on the bag. "Anything & Everything."

"Oh that secondhand store on Washington Street?" Her face seemed to brighten. "I like that place. The owner is so nice."

"Do you know her?"

"Jo? Yeah, she moved here about a year ago. Why?"

Without thinking, he said. "Does she seem a little weird to you?"

Bonnie shrugged and the blanket slid off her shoulder, exposing two red dots above her collarbone - fang marks. "No weirder than you."

Why was the bite mark in such a noticeable place? Damon was never sloppy. And would he really use his wife as a personal blood bag? Kai found that hard to believe. Maybe it was just a one time thing. A moment of weakness.

Kai never liked to feed. He didn't need blood the way vampires did, as a hybrid, he was strong enough already. At least he used to be. It wasn't the metallic taste that bothered him but the way it felt going down his throat; warm, thick and sticky. Even just the thought of it made him sick. Damon, however, was different. Kai remembered the way he would feed, drinking until the last drop, and then doing the same with a bottle of whiskey to get over his guilt.

Kai's gaze absentmindedly settled on the dip in Bonnie's neck, imagining the pink stone resting in between her collarbones.

A deep, rumbling sound came from his stomach.

Bonnie glanced down at his abdomen and crumpled the note in her hand. "Do you want to order some takeout?"

x

A/N: Thank you for reading and let me know what you think:)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: It's bonkai time babies! Featuring Micah because he's the cutest. And happy halloween, if that's what you're about:)

x

Bonnie leaned back on the couch and put a hand on her stomach stuffed full of kung pao chicken.

Usually when she was upset she would talk to Caroline about it but since Caroline wasn't answering her phone, she had turned to comfort food.

The note didn't say where Damon was going but Bonnie had a suspicion he had gone looking for that client in Doveport even after he promised he wouldn't. It felt like they were falling back into their old habits. She thought he worked too much, and he would remind her that he worked so he could provide for his family. They would go back and forth for hours. It was something they never agreed on. How many more times could they have that same fight?

She would have preferred to eat her feelings alone but Kai's company wasn't completely unwelcome. It seemed he was also trying to drown his sorrows in chow mein.

Bonnie stole a glance at Kai who was sitting on the other end of the couch. Despite their different mothers, the resemblance between the brothers was apparent. Although Damon's sharp, sculpted features seemed to adopt a softer quality on Kai.

His gaze was fixed on the television while he nibbled on a spring roll. He had his feet propped up on the coffee table that was littered with an alarming amount of empty takeout containers. It was hard to believe that two people had eaten all that food.

Kai had only been living with them for a week, but it appeared he had already made himself comfortable. Bonnie had to remind herself that he grew up there and in a way it was just as much his home as it was hers. He moved around with a confidence that she found unnerving, and spoke to her with an ease that is usually found between people who have known each other for a long time.

In between bites of food, Kai asked, "When did you say Jo moved here?"

"About a year ago." Bonnie answered with a hiccup. There was a slight burn in her chest, probably a result of eating too fast.

"Do you know where she's from?"

"I don't remember."

"Are you like friends with her?"

"Um I guess." Bonnie couldn't help smirking at his questions. "Before you get any ideas, I feel like I should warn you she's married."

Kai looked genuinely surprised. "That's not why I was asking."

"Then why are you so interested in her?"

"I'm not." He swallowed the last bite of his spring roll and licked his fingers with an exaggerated pop.

Bonnie raised a shaped eyebrow in response. She wanted to prod him further, to find out why he was so inquisitive, but her attention turned to the television screen.

A brunette woman with matching coffee coloured eyes was being interviewed on the local news. Her voice was frantic and accented, making it difficult to understand everything she was saying but Bonnie picked up pieces of information here and there.

In the past year Mist Haven had been plagued by a series of mysterious fires that occurred sporadically all over the city. Many people were killed and the strangest part was the cause of the fires was never determined. Of course everyone had their own idea about what happened and every now and then some crackpot would appear on the news to share their ridiculous theory.

The camera panned away from the woman and just before they cut to weather Bonnie was sure she heard her say 'witch hunt' over and over again.

"Some people will say anything to get on TV." Kai muttered as he changed the channel.

"Yeah." Bonnie agreed. "As if anyone is actually going to believe that stuff."

Kai flicked through the channels and settled on an episode of Scooby-Doo! For a while Micah had been obsessed with that show and Bonnie recognised the episode immediately. Someone had stolen Daphne's sapphire ring and the members of Mystery Inc. were on the case.

Kai leaned back, resting his arm on the back of the couch. "I wonder who the thief is."

"I've actually seen this one. It's the sweet, old grandma."

"It always is." He chuckled. "You watch a lot of cartoons?"

"I have a six-year old son so yes I do." Bonnie shifted in her seat, angling her body towards him. "What's your excuse?"

Kai gave a half-shrug and grinned. "Don't have one. I just like cartoons."

"Did you watch them with Damon when you were younger?"

"Sometimes, but he hated the ones with talking animals."

Damon's childhood had always been kind of a closed book. Bonnie had only known him as an adult. She couldn't imagine what he was like as a kid or even as a teenager. It was easy to forget that Damon had a whole other life before he met her, and she knew very little about it. In the earlier stages of their relationship she had been curious about his past but he was always withholding, and after a while she became satisfied with not knowing.

Hearing Kai talk about him and Damon as kids awakened that curiosity again. They had both known Damon for a long time but they each knew different versions of him. The only thing stopping her from asking Kai everything she wanted to know was the sense that she would be invading Damon's privacy. He usually avoided talking about his childhood and Bonnie never pressed him for details because she could understand his reluctance to discuss the past.

For the most part Bonnie had a good childhood. She had many fond memories of it but after her parents' accident those memories were tainted by grief and she preferred not to talk about it. Bonnie had been a fairly happy child but there was always a part of her that felt like she didn't belong, like she wasn't sure what her place in the world was. Even as an adult, even with her successful career, loving husband and wonderful kid, she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right with her life.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of Kai calling her name. It was the first time he said it. He uttered it firmly, sweetly, like it was the only meaningful thing he would ever say. His eyes looked black, but Bonnie knew they were blue. There was an intensity in his unrelenting gaze that made the back of her neck tingle. Kai's soft, low voice filled the air again.

"A secret uncovered in the place you were born,

between unlikely souls immortal love will form.

Sacrifice the one you hold dear,

and all your troubles will disappear.

Two hearts destined to beat as one,

even in death cannot be undone.

In every lifetime they are separated,

and then find each other as it is fated."

Just when she thought they were getting along, he had to go and say something weird. For a moment there Bonnie had forgotten her distrustful instincts but Kai's little monologue quickly aroused them. It was like a wall went up between the two of them, reminding her of something she had always known: Kai was not what he seemed. Once again a veil of darkness and mystery descended over him.

After the initial surprise ebbed away, Bonnie's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Is that like a poem or something?"

"Have you heard it before?"

She tilted her head to the side. "No. Why?"

"It's just a poem I like." Kai thoughtfully ran a hand over his stubble. "What do you think?"

Bonnie pursed her full lips and then in a tone of casual indifference she replied, "The rhyming is a little sloppy."

"I mean what do you think it's about? Like the deeper meaning?"

The corner of her mouth quirked up in an amused half-smile. "As much as I would love to analyse poetry with you, it's late and I'm tired." Bonnie yawned and stood up. On her way out she paused on the threshold and threw a glance behind her. "Goodnight Kai."

"Goodnight." He replied, even though she was already out of the room.

x

Kai continued to watch TV without really watching. He bided his time, waiting for the early hours of the morning when he was sure Bonnie would be asleep so he could get a look at the fang marks on her shoulder. Something about the bite seemed off. Damon's go-to spots were the wrist and the back of the knee.

Kai knew the kind of hold Damon's addiction used to have on him. When it came to blood he had no control over himself. He said he had switched to blood bags but Kai wasn't convinced. If Bonnie was going to be of any use to him, he couldn't let Damon drain her dry before she had played her part in the prophecy. His concern was nothing more than a need to protect an investment.

The door of the master bedroom was slightly ajar and Kai inched it open further. Tea candles on the nightstand bathed the room in an soft, warm glow and sweet, vanilla scent.

His socked feet soundlessly padded closer to the bed where Bonnie slept curled up on her side. She had one hand tucked under her pillow and the in the other she held a teddy bear.

Kai moved light as a shadow, keeping his actions slow and gentle. He leaned over her small frame and lowered his head to get a look at her shoulder.

Quiet, little whistling sounds left Bonnie's barely parted lips. Kai brushed strands of chestnut hair away from her shoulder. His heartbeat quickened as the pads of his fingers made contact with her skin, the warmth spreading into his cold fingertips. Kai let the pleasant feeling draw him closer to her.

The thin straps of Bonnie's camisole failed to conceal the fang marks above her collarbone. The skin surrounding the two tiny red dots was still smooth and unblemished, and from that Kai knew all he needed to know. The bite was new.

It's unusual placing and freshness suggested Damon had bit her in a hurry. He must have really needed the extra strength, but for what?

Satisfied with what he saw, Kai didn't want to linger around. At any moment Bonnie could wake up and he would see those brilliant green eyes looking up at him in horror.

Kai blew the tea candles out and left as quietly as he had entered.

Before he could exhale a sigh of relief he startled at the sight of Micah in the hall, staring up at him with dishevelled hair and his lips twisted into a pout.

Micah yawned and rubbed his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Kai whispered back. "What are you doing up?"

A little frown formed on Micah's face and his gaze flitted between his parents' bedroom and Kai. Whatever explanation his six-year old brain concocted seemed to satisfy him and he mumbled, "Will you make me a snack?"

"No. Go back to bed."

"I can't sleep." He tugged at the hem of his pyjama top. His eyes darted to his parents' room again and then back at Kai.

Kai realised if he didn't make him something to eat, Micah would probably wake Bonnie to do it, and possibly mention that he saw his uncle hovering outside her bedroom in the middle of the night.

"Fine." He grumbled.

Kai switched the light on in kitchen. "What do you want to eat?" He asked, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the brightness.

"French toast." Micah responded without hesitation as he perched himself at the island.

He had his elbows resting on the countertop and his chin propped in his palms. He started to hum out of tune while Kai gathered the ingredients, cracked two eggs in a bowl and whisked them together with milk and cinnamon.

Up until now Kai hadn't made any real effort to bond with his nephew. It would be a waste of time anyway because he would only end up disappointing him. Kai didn't feel equipped to be someone's uncle. Maybe it would have been different if he had been a part of Micah's life before, if he had known him for longer than a week.

Kai coated slices of bread in the egg mixture and put them in a frying pan.

"Why can't you sleep?"

Micah stopped humming. "There are scary sounds outside my window." He explained, sheepishly. "I think it's the tree."

Kai had some idea of what he was talking about. He remembered the unsettling, rattling sounds he would hear on windy nights when the magnolia tree outside his window would whack against the side of the house.

A rich, sweet scent started to waft through the air and Kai expertly flipped the toast. "I used to like climbing that tree when I was younger. I would go all the way to the top. It was quiet, away from everyone." He kept his eyes on the toast sizzling in the pan. "My father had this antique spyglass that we were never allowed to touch. One day I took it up into the tree. You could almost see the entire neighbourhood. Then I dropped the spyglass and it broke. The brass was all scratched and the glass was completely bust."

When the toast turned golden brown Kai put it on a plate. It looked so good he was tempted to make some for himself.

Micah, who had been listening intently, blew on a corner of the hot toast and then took a bite. "Did you get in trouble?"

Shaking his head, Kai replied. "Your dad covered for me and said he was the one who broke it."

It was not the only instance where Damon had taken the blame for something Kai did. He often acted like a lightning rod for their father's anger, drawing his attention away from Kai and towards himself, knowing that Joshua was more inclined to forgive his first-born than his bastard son.

"Did he get in trouble?"

"No. He could talk his way out of anything."

It was so hard for people to stay mad at Damon. He only had to say something witty and flash one of his signature half-smiles, and all would be forgiven. It's not that he never did bad things, but that he knew exactly how to justify doing them. That was what separated Damon from his troublesome younger brother and earned him his good guy reputation.

He watched in quiet contemplation as Micah continued to munch on the french toast. Breakfast food had always been his specialty.

Kai didn't have much experience with children but he couldn't send Micah back to bed without at least trying to make him feel better.

"Anyway, the point is it's just a tree. It's nothing to be afraid of."

It sounded stupid and he felt stupid. He didn't have anything helpful to say, and he almost felt sorry for it as he looked at his nephew.

Micah gave a small nod and a few wispy curls fell across his face. "Thanks, Uncle Kai."

x

After Micah finished eating and went back to sleep, Kai settled into bed. He expected to fall asleep immediately given the late hour and tiresome day he had. Instead he found that he was wide awake. He had pushed past exhaustion and was now filled with restless energy.

Kai tossed and turned in bed. Every time he closed his eyes, they would start to burn and he would be forced to open them again. He knew he should try to do something relaxing, maybe read a book or drink some warm milk, but he didn't want to get out of bed.

Soft rays of light trickled in through the window as the sun rose on a new day. There was no point in trying to fall asleep now. He rolled over onto his stomach, with his arm dangling over the edge of the bed. Without getting up, Kai reached for the english-latin dictionary that he had hastily thrown on the floor earlier. He opened the book towards the back and fanned through the pages with his thumb. He repeated the action over and over again, cover to cover. His eyes were fixed on the book, fascinated by the blur of words as his hand moved mechanically without any thought.

A faint stinging sensation pricked the skin on his thumb and a thin line of blood appeared - a paper cut. The pain was so insignificant Kai barely registered it. He continued to fan through the pages but at a slower pace. Then he noticed something strange. The book appeared to be blank, solid white paper with no words on it as if they had just fallen right off. The he started seeing red splotches splattering the pages. _Bloodstains?_ He blinked a few times and the english and latin words in black ink filled the book again.

This had happened to him a couple times before. He had seen things that weren't really there, hallucinations brought on by a lack of sleep. He would have tossed the dictionary back on the floor without a second thought if it weren't for something else he had noticed. One of the pages towards the middle of the book felt thicker than the others.

He sat upright and gripped the unusually thick paper between his thumb and forefinger and flipped it back and forth. He peeled the top corner with his fingernail and pried the pages apart only to find more english-latin translations. He did the same with the next two pages and this time Kai wasn't disappointed by what he found - sandwiched between the two pages was a little photograph. One of the edges was uneven where someone had torn it.

It was a picture of him, but it wasn't really him. Just someone who had the same dark hair and stormy blue eyes. Except for his clean-shaven face, the man in the picture looked exactly like Kai, right down to the dimples that formed on his cheeks as he smiled. Kai flipped the picture over and saw that in the bottom corner someone had written _'Crescent Cove, 1999'_.

Kai had never posed for that picture but the rippling waves and setting sun in the background were familiar. Certain he knew where the other half was, Kai threw open the closet doors and yanked his black coat off the hanger. He fumbled in the pocket for the picture of the woman who looked like Bonnie and then held it next to the one he had found in the book.

The torn edges lined up and the complete picture made Kai feel woozy. It looked like him and Bonnie at the beach, with his arm around her, both smiling like they'd never been happier.

The picture was taken in 1999 according to the note on the back. Kai hadn't been born yet. His father hadn't even been born yet. It was taken such a long time ago, the people in the picture were surely dead by now. If he wanted to know more about them his best chance would be talking to someone who seemed unaffected by the laws of time. It was clear Cassandra knew more than she was letting on but he still wasn't sure if he could trust her.

There was also the mysterious owner of the dictionary to worry about. Jo said it belonged to her sister. Whoever she was, she had tried really hard to keep the picture hidden. He would have to go back to that odd little shop to find out more.

Kai had gone to Mist Haven looking for some magical solution to his problem, but when Cassandra first told him about the prophecy he was skeptical.

Fate, destiny, soulmates - those were abstract concepts. Kai believed in the things he could see and even after having met Bonnie, he still had his doubts about the whole thing. How was she supposed to save him when she seemed completely clueless about the prophecy?

But the picture in his hand was real, it confirmed exactly what he had hoped for and and there was no time for doubt or hesitation.

When he told Damon that he came back to try to make amends he wasn't lying but any hope of that disappeared when he found the picture. If there was still a chance for him to save himself, he had to take it.

Kai couldn't walk the line between who he wanted to be and who he needed to be to survive. He decided to do what was best for himself. He did it when he was nineteen, when he made a mess of everything and then ran away, leaving Damon to clean it up. If that's who he had to be to get what he wanted, then so be it. Bonnie would have to understand. He would make her understand.

Kai fetched a roll of sticky tape from the study and pieced the two halves together. Then he tucked the picture back into his coat pocket. He figured it was the best place to keep it since he rarely went anywhere without that coat.

Kai leaned back on the bed with an arm thrown over his eyes, a mixture of relief and guilt swelling in his chest.

Bonnie was his soulmate.


	5. Chapter 5

As Bonnie woke up she instinctively rolled over onto Damon's side of the bed, expecting to feel his large frame against her and his arms pulling her closer. When she ended up on her back with nothing but the feeling of cold sheets on her skin, Bonnie remembered that he wasn't there and she was alone.

She rolled back onto her side of the bed and flipped the pillow over before burying her face in it. She tried not to think about him but Damon's absence was loud and suffocating and impossible to ignore.

There was a soft thud outside her door and Bonnie lazily sat upright. She smiled when she saw Micah poke his head around the door, and in a husky voice she called, "Come in."

Micah shuffled closer and plopped himself down on the foot of the bed.

"You're up early." Bonnie mumbled as she grabbed her phone from the nightstand. There were no calls or texts from Damon. It also wasn't as early as she thought. According to the time on her phone, it was already midday.

Bonnie rubbed her eyes and tilted her head to the side until she heard a satisfying crack.

Micah grimaced at the sound and then scooted closer to her. "Can I go get ice cream with Uncle Kai? He said I had to ask you first. So can I?"

Bonnie wasn't thrilled about the idea of her son going anywhere with Kai.

"Why go out for ice cream when we can make our Sunday afternoon sundaes instead? It's a family tradition."

"But dad's not here. It's no fun without him."

He was right. Sunday afternoon sundaes were Damon's idea. He even came up with a whole song about it, and he would make the craziest sundaes with the most unusual topping combinations.

Bonnie held Micah's hand and rubbed her thumb over it. "He'll be home soon." She didn't believe it herself, but she hoped Micah did.

It was easier when he was younger and never questioned his father's unexpected work trips. But Micah was growing up. Bonnie tried her best to make sure he had all the emotional support he needed but sometimes she worried that it wasn't enough, that she wasn't enough.

"So can I go with Uncle Kai?" He tilted his head downwards and looked up at her through his dark eyelashes. "I'll be good, I promise."

"I know you will." Bonnie replied, booping him on his nose. "It's not you I'm worried about."

Micah stuck his bottom lip out. "Pleeeeeaase."

She knew he wouldn't stop whining until he got an answer. As familiar as she was with Micah's tactics, it didn't make it any easier to say no to him. "Okay fine. I'll think about it."

He flashed one of his cheeky grins, clearly pleased with himself. Bonnie was reminded of Damon and she thought about calling him. She turned her phone over in her hands but eventually decided against it.

x

Bonnie inhaled deeply, enjoying the rich scent of coffee and the warm feeling of the mug in her hand. She knew she would probably have trouble sleeping that night. It happened every time she drank coffee a little too late in the day, but she couldn't resist.

Kai sat at the dining table, bent over what looked like a watch with the back cover removed. There were so many tiny gears and springs. It all looked so complicated, but Kai seemed to know exactly what he was doing. He looked older somehow, with his jaw clenched and his eyebrows drawn together in concentration.

Bonnie set her newspaper and cup of coffee down on the table. As she slid into the chair opposite Kai, she noted his half-full glass of orange juice. He didn't use a coaster and a ring of moisture had formed on the table. Fighting the urge to say something, Bonnie flipped to the page of the newspaper with the crossword puzzle. She had been working on it for over a week. Every time she sat down to complete it, she would get distracted and forget about it.

Kai held a double ended scriber in each hand as he fiddled with the mechanism. His hands looked soft. His fingers were long and slender, perfect for intricate work like fixing timepieces.

She had never been quite sure which hand was Kai's dominant one, and now as she watched him simultaneously winding pinions with both of them, it was still hard to tell which one he favoured, they appeared to be equal in dexterity.

Bonnie didn't want to break his focus but she was curious. "What are you doing?"

"My watch stopped working." Kai answered, without looking up. "I'm trying to fix it." His hands were steady and sure, moving with expert precision and smoothness.

She tried to concentrate on the crossword puzzle but every now and then her attention flitted to Kai, to watch his skilled hands. Bonnie wondered if he noticed her lingering gaze. Of course he did.

Although his eyes were cast downwards, she got the feeling that nothing escaped his observation.

Bonnie gave up on the crossword and started to doodle on the newspaper instead. Without much thought, she ended up drawing something that looked like an eggplant wearing a top hat.

"So Micah mentioned something about ice cream." She glanced back at Kai. Not at his hands this time, but at his face that was fixed in a look of calm determination.

Before she could look away, Kai lifted his head and they locked eyes for a moment. "Yeah, I thought it might be nice to do some family bonding. You know, make up for lost time."

It was unexpected but he sounded genuine. Kai was family after all. Maybe it would be good for Micah to spend some time with him, and he seemed so excited about it, but she still didn't feel comfortable leaving him alone with Kai.

"That does sound nice. I don't have anything going on today so I'll come with."

Kai set the double ended scribers down. "Great." A muscle twitched in his cheek and he took a sip of his orange juice.

Bonnie mirrored his action with her coffee. "Great. I need to grab a sweater and then we can go."

x

When Bonnie returned, Kai hadn't moved from his place at the table.

"Ready to go?" She asked, shrugging into her cardigan and tucking her hands into the pockets.

"Actually I don't think we should." He muttered quietly, avoiding her gaze. "It seems like a bad idea. I'm not very good with children."

"Are you kidding? Bonnie spat, digging her nails into the soft material of her cardigan. It was all she could do to keep from throwing something at him. "Then why did you suggest it? Micah was really excited you wanted to spend time with him."

Bonnie rarely felt anger like that but with the stress of planning Caroline's wedding and Damon leaving suddenly, she was bottling up a lot of emotion and it had to come out somewhere. Maybe she was overreacting but she was sick of people disappointing Micah. First Damon. And now Kai.

"I…I want to spend time with him too." Kai faltered. "It's just - "

"Forget it." Bonnie snapped. She started to storm out, then she stopped and turned back around. "And use a fucking coaster!" She yelled, before walking away from him again.

"Wait!" His chair made a loud scratching sound as he hastily stood up. "Bonnie, wait. I'm not very good at this okay." Kai caught up to her and positioned himself in front of her so she had to hear him out at least. "It's all new to me but I'm trying. We can still go get ice cream. I just need to make a quick stop somewhere first and I could use your help with something."

"My help?" Bonnie sputtered, not trying very hard to conceal her disbelief. "With what?

"You know that store Anything & Everything? Well there's something there that I need but I think it's kept in the room at the back. I thought maybe if I had someone to distract Jo I might be able to go in and get it without being noticed and - "

Bonnie put her hand up, motioning for him to stop talking, which he did. She paced up and down, processing what he said, and her mouth fell open when she connected the dots. "Tell me you were not going to use my son to help you steal something."

"I'd rather not lie to you."

"Are you out of your mind?" Bonnie hissed, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides.

Kai's jaw tightened. "Look it's not as bad as it sounds, and it's not really stealing anyway because it already belongs to me."

She raised an eyebrow and scoffed. It was a short, biting sound that echoed through the room. "What is it? And why does Jo have it?"

"It's something very valuable, and it's complicated."

It wasn't much of an answer and she was about to tell him that but after a moment of thought, Bonnie started to piece things together in her mind.

"This is the reason you came back to Mystic Falls, isn't it?" A look of surprise crossed Kai's face and Bonnie felt a surge of pride for having cracked his mystery. "You said you came back for work. You're an antiques dealer and Jo sells old stuff. That's why you were so interested in her."

"You figured me out." Kai replied, his words sharp as a razor. "Does that mean you're going to help?"

"Good luck with whatever you're doing, but I'm not stealing anything from anyone."

"You don't have to steal anything." Kai insisted, his lips twisting into a cunning smile. "All you have to do is talk to Jo, make sure her attention is on you instead of me, and I'll take care of the rest." There was a manic gleam in his eye as he spoke. "You won't be doing anything wrong."

The words came to him too easily. They poured out of his mouth, effortless and slicked with honey.

"I don't exactly have a ton of friends I can ask for help." Kai chuckled, but there was a note of venom in it. "I'm asking you, Bonnie. Please."

Bonnie considered his request. If there were something she could do to help someone else, she always did it. Even if it was Kai asking, it wouldn't be right to turn him down if she could help.

Still, she hesitated. "I don't know."

Micah bounded into the room. "How many scoops can I get?" He looked up at his mother, fluttering his eyelashes.

Bonnie couldn't bear to disappoint him. She started to button her cardigan and exhaled shakily. "Two scoops."

x

Bonnie was a cautious driver. She stuck to the speed limit, kept a firm grim on the steering wheel, and focused her attention on the road at all times. She didn't talk much but she chewed on her lip a lot and Kai could tell there was something she wanted to say.

"So what exactly is this very valuable item?" Bonnie asked casually, as if she hadn't spent the entire car ride running through all the possibilities of what it could be in her mind.

Kai smiled to himself. He knew something she didn't and it unsettled her. Bonnie hated not being in control almost as much as he did.

"Can I trust you, Bonnie?"

She drew her lip between her teeth again. The car came to a stop as she pulled into a parking spot. "We're here."

"Ice cream!" Micah exclaimed from the backseat.

At the same time, Bonnie and Kai both turned around to look at him. Their faces were inches apart. Close, but not touching. Her hair was neatly braided over one shoulder and Kai could smell her shampoo. He thought about brushing the loose strands away from her face. _And then what?_ He was being stupid. Bonnie might be his soulmate but she wasn't really his.

"Not yet." Bonnie said to Micah. "We have to run an errand first."

"And then ice cream?"

"Yes."

x

Fortunately, they weren't the only customers in Anything & Everything. There were three other people in the store. Two of them were wandering around, browsing through the various knick-knacks. The third stood behind the counter, fidgeting with the cash register. He was tall with sandy coloured hair. It didn't take long for Bonnie to strike up a conversation with Jo. Kai, sensing his opportunity, edged towards the back of the shop. Jo caught his movement out of the corner of her eye but she was distracted by Bonnie who put her hand on Jo's arm and drew her attention to a trinket in the window.

Kai managed to slip into the backroom. It was neat and tidy, with a table, two chairs, a few cabinets, and shelves lining the walls. He couldn't resist scanning the objects on the shelves and estimating their worth. Judging by the collection of porcelain vases, fine glass paperweights, and crystalware, it appeared Jo preferred to store her more precious items in the back.

He found a shelf of books but they were mostly notebooks, not exactly what he was looking for. He thought he might have better luck with the cabinets but they were all locked. His eyes darted around, searching for something he could use to fashion a lock-pick but before he could find anything, he heard a woman's voice coming from behind him.

"Customers aren't allowed back here." Jo stood in the doorway, with her arms folded across her chest.

Kai threw his hands up in mock surrender and smiled innocently. "I was just looking for the bathroom."

It wasn't the first time he had been caught snooping around somewhere he shouldn't be, and he knew exactly what to do. Play it cool and try to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Jo stepped closer and planted herself directly in front of Kai, making it clear that he was not going to slip away so easily this time. "If you tell me what you're actually looking for, I might be able to help you find it."

He could lie but that wouldn't get him anywhere. "I'm looking for your sister's grimoire."

"What are talking about?"

 _Was she also a witch? Did she think he was insane?_ Jo's blank expression and level tone gave no indication.

"There was something very interesting about that dictionary you gave me, the one that belonged to your sister. I'm guessing that's not the only magical book she has."

Jo's face paled but she didn't respond.

"You can pretend you have no idea what I'm talking about or you can tell me what you know about the picture in the dictionary." He started to edge towards the shelf of crystalware.

"I really don't know what you're talking about."

Kai rolled his eyes. "I'm starting to get a little tired of this act."

"I swear I don't know about the picture. I've never been able to open the dictionary. That's why I was so surprised when you did." Jo stopped talking suddenly, realising she had said too much. "I can't help you."

"I disagree. I think you know more than you're letting on. You can tell me what you know or I can tear through every inch of this place until I find some answers." Kai picked a crystal ashtray off one of the shelves and twirled it around in his hands. "This store is filled with so many beautiful items." He remarked, raising the ashtray above his head. "I'd rather not destroy them all."

A devious smile appeared on his face. "But I will."

Before he could bring his arm down and smash the ashtray to pieces, Jo grabbed his elbow and whispered, "I'll tell you what you want to know, but not here." She released his arm from her grip. "Tomorrow. 2pm. At the Mystic Grill."

Kai groaned. "The Mystic Grill?" He had no desire to run into Tyler again.

"Is that a problem?" Her voice wavered a little.

He didn't mean to scare her, not really, but he needed answers.

"No. I'll be there." Kai pushed the ashtray into her hands, giving her a look that hopefully conveyed an apology, and walked back into the main part of the shop.

Bonnie stood by the door, waiting for him. She had a paper bag in one hand and she was holding Micah's hand in the other.

Jo joined the sandy-haired man behind the counter. Bonnie waved goodbye to them, they returned the gesture, and Jo said, "See you on Friday."

x

When they were out of the store Kai asked, "Did you actually buy something?"

"Well yeah, I felt guilty." A slight frown formed on her face. "And I saw these cufflinks that would be great for Micah to wear to Caroline's wedding."

"I'm wearing a tux." Micah added proudly, looking up at his uncle. He had Bonnie's eyes. Big and bright, and full of curiosity.

Before they crossed the street, Kai felt Micah's hand slip into his own. He didn't tighten his grip but he didn't wriggle his hand free either.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Bonnie asked. She sounded a little nervous, probably worried she had helped him steal from her friend.

"Not exactly. Why did Jo say she would see you on Friday?"

"It's the school play. Her kids are in the grade above Micah."

"I'm playing a carrot." Micah chimed in.

Seeing Kai's confused expression, Bonnie explained, "They're doing Stone Soup."

They got back into the car and Micah leaned forward, poking his head between Kai and Bonnie. "Are we getting ice cream now?"

Bonnie raised an eyebrow at Kai, waiting for an answer. She had done her part and she was waiting to see if he would do his.

"Yes." He didn't mind playing happy little family for a while longer. There were worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Micah sank back into his seat. "And I still get two scoops?"

"How about three?" Bonnie glanced at him in the rearview mirror and giggled at his reaction.

" _Three?_ " A wide grin broke across Micah's face and he squealed in delight.


	6. Chapter 6

Kai scooped the last bit of cookies and cream into his mouth, enjoying the sweetness melting on his tongue. The drive back home was as quiet as before. Micah, the most talkative of all of them, was too focused on his three scoops to babble on like he usually did. He had opted for a cone instead of a cup and some of the ice cream had dripped onto his hands and clothes. Kai couldn't help but grimace when Bonnie held Micah by the hand as they walked back into the house. She clearly didn't share his aversion to children's sticky hands.

Kai flopped onto his bed, exhausted and a little bored. Until his meeting with Jo, there was nothing for him to do but wait. Bonnie was busy working on wedding preparation and Micah was playing video games in his room. Having spent most of his adult life alone, Kai had no problem with finding ways to entertain himself but the longer he stayed in his room, the more anxious he felt. The thought that he was wasting the time he had left festered in his mind like an open wound.

When his head started to spin, Kai decided he needed to make a move. He got up and went for a walk into town. He was sick of waiting for destiny to run its course. It was time for him to set the wheels in motion. Starting with Cassandra. She might have been elusive in Mist Haven but in a small town like Mystic Falls, everyone knew everyone. It didn't take long before a waitress at the Diner informed him that the redhead with the strange accent worked at The Bloom Room.

x

It was different to her little shop in Mist Haven, more upscale and professional. Kai was greeted by the scent of flowers as he entered, but the usually the pleasant fragrance now made him feel sick. There was no one else in sight so he rang the bell on the front desk. While he waited, his eyes fell on the pictures of flower arrangements that lined the walls. Shortly after, a woman appeared from the back.

"Kai Salvatore?" She exclaimed in an exaggerated tone of surprise. "No way!"

At first Kai struggled to remember where he knew the woman from. Then he recognised Damon's annoying girlfriend from high school and his expression soured.

"It's me, Elena. It's been so long." She continued with a coy smile. "What are you doing here?"

Kai managed to mask his disdain and flashed a polite smile in return. "I'm looking for Cassandra."

"She didn't come in today." Elena replied, looking down at the open book on her desk and running a finger down the page. "I don't see your name here. Do you have an appointment scheduled with her?"

"No. I just thought I'd come by and…surprise her."

Elena pursed her mouth in a pout. "So are you two like _a thing?_ "

"It's not like that. We're old friends." Kai assured her, resting his arms on the counter and leaning forwards. His voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm actually single."

"Oh?" She giggled and drew her straight, brown hair over one shoulder. "Well is there something I can help you with?"

"Maybe you could give me Cassandra's address and I could go see her there?" Kai made a point of licking his lips and holding her gaze. "You'd be doing me a huge favour."

He could see Elena was hesitant so he reached out and ran a hand through her hair, tucking it behind her ear. "I would be so grateful."

A blush crept up her cheeks. "She lives on Rochester Street. It's the yellow house with the rosebush in the front yard." Elena started to stroke his hand with her thumb. "So why don't we catch up? Maybe we could - "

"I actually have to go." Kai twisted his hand out of her grasp and left the shop, not turning back to see the appalled expression on her face.

x

Rochester Street was not that far from The Bloom Room and he found the yellow house with the rosebush easily.

Kai reached into his pocket and pulled out the hair pin he had taken from Elena. He bent it so that it could be used as a lock-pick. He was out of practice but after a few minutes of jiggling the hair pin in the lock, the door opened.

He stepped into the living room and his mouth fell open, shocked by who he saw sitting on the couch. It was like looking into a mirror, except the other man's face was clean-shaven and his hair was a darker shade of brown. He was also dressed quite unusually, sporting cargo shorts paired with a denim jacket over a flannel shirt. When he saw Kai, the man raised an eyebrow and held out his bag of chips. Kai shook his head, declining the offer.

"Dude that lock-pick trick was totally sweet." He shoved a handful of chips into his mouth and then mumbled. "You have to teach me that sometime."

Kai had a lot of questions he wanted to ask but he couldn't think of anything to say. There was only one thought in his mind. "You look like me."

"But younger and hotter. Yeah, I know." He waved a dismissive hand in the air and Kai noted the array of rings on his fingers. "So which one are you supposed to be?"

"What?"

"Who. Are. You?" He asked slowly, as if talking to a child.

"Uh, um." Kai was still having a hard time understanding what he was seeing. "I'm…uh…I'm Kai."

"Are you sure?" He sneered, and then snorted with laughter. "I'm Rhys. That's Gina." He gestured to the left of him but there was no one there.

Then Kai saw a woman gradually appear next to Rhys on the couch. Starting with a pair of black stilettos and ending in a head of perfectly-curled black hair.

"Bonnie?" He blurted out, a mixture of relief and fear swelling in his chest.

"No, idiot." Gina snapped and glared at Kai with an intensity that made his cheeks burn. Then, turning to Rhys and lowering her voice, she said, "Cassandra will be home soon. He has to go."

Gina was intimidating to look at. In addition to her leather jacket and stilettos, she wore an expression of pure distaste. Green eyes, full lips, and heart-shaped face. She had all the same features but where Bonnie was supple curves and soft waves, Gina was sharp lines and coarse edges.

As Kai looked at her and Rhys, he remembered a beach and the glow of sunset. They were the couple from the picture. The picture that was dated 1999.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."

Gina raised her hand in the air and clenched it into a fist. "You're leaving right now. Whether it's in one piece or with your internal organs shoved down your throat, I haven't decided yet."

Kai clawed at his throat, choking and sputtering. as he tried to pry her invisible fingers away.

"I think that's enough." Rhys said almost regretfully. His lips twisted into a chilling smile. "We don't want to scare our new friend, do we?"

Gina released her grip on Kai's throat. Sharp, ragged gasps escaped his mouth as he gulped air.

"Gina is a little temperamental." Rhys said, putting his hand on her thigh and giving it an affectionate squeeze. "And she's also right. You have to go now."

While he was sure Rhys had just saved his life, Kai could tell that was the first and last favour he would receive from his lookalike. He got the feeling Rhys would have no problem watching him die.

"Okay." Kai managed to croak. His throat burned and he could feel the blood pounding in his head.

It all felt like some kind of bizarre dream and Kai was just beginning to realise the danger in front of him. There was no doubt Gina was a powerful witch. He didn't know if Rhys was as skilled with magic, but he wasn't going to stick around to find out.

x

Kai was eager to return home, to return to a Bonnie that hadn't tried to kill him. He found her in the exact position she was in when he left, sitting cross-legged on the floor of the living room, probably still working on wedding preparation.

Kai didn't want to get too close to her, with the knowledge of what he had discovered threatening to spill out of him. He sat down at the dining table so he could keep Bonnie in his line of vision but not feel tempted to talk to her.

Bonnie's newspaper was still on the table and he peeked at the crossword puzzle she had been working on. She had filled in all the answers except for one and in the corner of the page, there was also a drawing of an eggplant wearing a top hat. After a moment's thought, Kai picked the pen up and completed the crossword. It appeared his knowledge of 90s music was better than Bonnie's.

Kai let his curiosity lead him into the living room to see what Bonnie was doing. There were a few boxes on the floor, and on the coffee table there was a stack of rose pink paper and matching pink flowers which he realised were made from paper.

Kai plopped down on the couch. "What are you doing?"

"Making five hundred paper flowers." Bonnie trailed off, focused on what she was doing.

"Want some help?"

She turned to look at him, her mouth slightly agape with disbelief.

"I can fold paper." Kai added defensively.

"Well it's a bit more complicated than that but sure."

He shifted from the couch onto the rug next to her.

Bonnie picked up a square of pink paper and started to fold it, talking him through the steps. The first two folds were easy enough but after that Kai started to get a little lost. Eventually, she ended up with something shaped like a pyramid. Then finally, in one complicated manoeuvre Bonnie put her thumbs underneath the structure and pushed them upwards. Before he knew it, there was a pretty pink flower sitting in the palm of her hand.

"Got it?"

"Yes." Kai replied with unfounded confidence. "So what is this for?"

"Caroline wants every guest at her wedding to have their own individual flower. I'm supposed to have them all done by tomorrow."

Kai liked to think he was getting better at reading Bonnie, at discerning her feelings by a facial expression or change in tone, and in that moment he definitely sensed a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"How many have you done?"

"There are four hundred and twenty-one in those boxes." She counted the flowers on the coffee table. "Four hundred and fifty-seven."

Kai took a piece of pink paper from the stack. It was thicker than he expected, with a texture like cotton sheets. He completed the first two folds with ease. After that, he wasn't quite sure what to do next but he attempted to continue anyway. It didn't work out as well as he had hoped so he shoved the crumpled mess of paper into his pocket.

He started over with another piece of paper and watched what Bonnie was doing. Her nimble fingers worked at a slower pace than before. While Kai liked to think it was for his benefit, she was probably just getting tired.

He completed the first two steps and then continued folding until he had made something that looked like a pyramid. He put his thumbs underneath the structure like Bonnie had done before and pushed upwards, but nothing happened.

When Bonnie noticed him fumbling with the paper, she put her hands over his and guided his fingers into the correct placement. Her touch was light and delicate, the warmth bleeding into his cold hands. Kai pushed upwards with his thumbs, more successfully that time, and Bonnie let go of his hands. He placed the finished flower into a box and rubbed his hands together in satisfaction, but it was nothing compared to her warmth.

Kai poked through the other flowers in the box, comparing them to the one he made. His wasn't as neat as Bonnie's but he was quite proud of himself. There was one flower that stood out from the rest. It looked untidy with creases on the petals where someone had mistakenly folded and tried to unfold it.

Kai daintily held it between his thumb and forefinger. "Did you let Micah make one?"

"Uh no." Bonnie laughed. "Damon tried to help but he got too frustrated."

"Yeah delicate paper crafts were never his thing." Kai put the flower back in the box and started to fold his second one. It was easier now that he had a better understanding of the steps.

Kai got to the final step and pushed his thumbs upwards just like Bonnie had shown him.

"Am I doing this right?"

Bonnie glanced at the flower on his outstretched palm. "Yeah that's quite good. Better than Damon's at least." She answered with a chuckle.

"I do a lot of things better than Damon." Kai replied, his voice as sharp as a razor's edge.

There was a crack in Bonnie's usually guarded expression. A curious half-smile formed on her lips. She took the flower from his hands and put it in the box. "Four hundred and sixty-three."

x

Kai settled into bed and when he closed his eyes, endless images of pink flowers appeared before him. He and Bonnie had managed to finish making the paper flowers. It was not exactly his idea of fun but after some time he fell into a rhythm and it became easy work. Despite staying up for most of the previous night, Kai found that he couldn't sleep. He was nervous about meeting Jo. He ran through all the possibilities, rehearsing what he was going to say, but then he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Uncle Kai. Are you awake?"

"No."

"I can't sleep."

Kai reluctantly opened the door to find Micah standing there, clutching a book in his hands. "Go tell your mom."

"She fell asleep on the couch." He pressed the book against Kai's abdomen. "Will you read me a story?"

Kai wiped a hand over his face and groaned. He took the book and followed Micah to his parents' bedroom. "Where are you going?"

"I had a bad dream. I can't sleep in my room." Micah explained before hopping on the neatly-made bed and crawling under the covers. "Can you light the candles?"

"Fine." Kai instinctively waved a hand over the candles and murmured, "Incendia."

Micah scrunched his nose in confusion. "What?"

"I wasn't talking to you." Kai retorted as he tried again using the lighter. He had been magic-less for a while now but he would never get used to it.

He perched on the foot of the bed but Micah patted the empty space on Damon's side of the bed, gesturing for him to come closer. With a disgruntled sigh, Kai obliged and then opened the book on his lap. As he read out loud, he started to understand why Micah found that room more comforting than his own. It was cozy in a way he never expected and the sweet vanilla scent reminded him of Bonnie.

Every now and then Kai paused and glanced down at Micah, trying to figure out if he was still listening or if he had fallen asleep. When he reached the end of the story, Kai closed the book and placed it on the nightstand. Micah seemed to be sleeping so Kai stood up slowly, trying not to make any movement that would wake the boy.

"Don't go."

The voice startled Kai and he looked down to see Micah with his eyes open, staring up at him.

"I thought you were asleep."

Micah shook his head and pulled the covers up to his chin. "Stay a little longer." He said, closing his eyes again.

Kai sat back down and put his legs up on the bed. He stifled a yawn with his hand and leaned back against the pillows. The warmth of the room and the comfort of the bed made him feel sleepy so Kai closed his eyes for a moment, figuring he could get some rest while he waited for Micah to fall asleep.

x

Bonnie woke with a jolt. She had fallen asleep on the couch while counting the paper flowers. Her neck hurt from the uncomfortable position she had slept in, with her head resting precariously on the edge of the armrest. She had counted the flowers multiple times, wanting to make sure she had the right amount. There was no room for error when planning a wedding. Everything had to go perfectly according to the bride's plan, even more so when the bride was Caroline Forbes.

Bonnie packed the flowers into the boxes and then put the boxes on the dining table so she wouldn't forget them in the morning. She noticed the newspaper with the crossword puzzle on the table. There was still one more word she had to fill in. It was a tricky crossword but that last clue was the toughest. It had been in the back of her mind all day and she decided to give it another try before going to bed.

To her surprise, Bonnie found that the crossword had been completed. Someone had already filled in the answer and it could only have been Kai. In the corner of the page, next to her drawing of an eggplant wearing a top hat, he had drawn what looked like a carrot wearing a tuxedo.

"Idiot." Bonnie muttered, but she couldn't help smiling to herself.

x

Bonnie was surprised to find the candles in her bedroom already lit, and even more surprised to find Micah and Kai asleep in her bed. She wondered how Kai had managed to doze off in the uncomfortable half-sitting, half-sleeping position he was in.

Bonnie tried to climb under the covers quietly. Micah was a light sleeper and she didn't want to wake him, but she accidentally nudged him and he shifted closer to Kai.

She couldn't stop thinking about the carrot drawing, and the storybook on the nightstand. Did he read Micah a bedtime story? The thought alone seemed too weird to be true, but Bonnie didn't think about it for very long as she drifted off to sleep.

x

A/N: Shoutout to shadowcatgirl09 and makeashadow for the name suggestions. What's better than bonkai? Multiple versions of bonkai. I'm having so much fun with this and the fact that you guys are reading it (and even liking it?) is so bizarre and wonderful. Thank you for reading and have a lovely holiday:)


	7. Chapter 7

Rousing from her deep sleep, Bonnie writhed on the bed and shrugged the covers off her body. The temperature of the room had gone from comfortably warm to oppressively hot as the morning sun beat down through the windows. Beads of sweat formed on the back of her neck and she finally managed to kick the covers off. Her leg brushed against Kai's and she immediately snapped out of her sleepy daze. She woke suddenly, eyes wide open and heart pounding, as she became fully aware of the person sleeping next to her. If the fluttering movements under his eyelids were any indication, Kai was still fast asleep, dreaming.

Bonnie heard faint notes of the Scooby-Doo! theme song drifting through the passage, the sound getting louder as she walked towards the living room. Micah, like the early riser he was, sat in front of the television dressed in his school uniform with his backpack strapped to his shoulders.

"Ready for school?"

Micah bobbed his head in response.

"Good boy." Bonnie couldn't resist running a hand through his curls and bending down to kiss his head. "Did you have a bad dream last night?"

"Yeah."

"And did Uncle Kai read you a story?"

"Yeah."

"Which one?" She asked, fixing the collar of his shirt.

"The one with the rabbit, but he didn't do the voices like dad does them."

Bonnie didn't know what to say to make him feel better about Damon being gone, so she focused on something she could help him with. "What was your dream about?"

"I don't remember." Micah answered, blinking up at her. "But I was scared."

"It was only a dream." She reassured him and knelt down to tie his shoelaces. "I would never let anything bad happen to you. You know that don't you?"

Micah nodded with a small smile. Bonnie planted a series of kisses on his forehead and he squirmed away, whining, " _Mom._ "

x

Kai paced outside the door of the Mystic Grill, staring at his watch, He waited until it was just past two and then finally walked in. He found Jo sitting in a booth by the window. She must have arrived a lot earlier than he did, judging by the almost-empty glass of water on the table.

Kai slid into the opposite side of the booth. "Thank you for coming."

"Well, I didn't have much choice." Jo replied, placing a thick, leather-bound book on the table. It made a dull smacking sound as it landed on the surface. She pushed it towards him. "Here's the grimoire. It's all coded but I can't help you with that. What else do you want to know?"

"Do you know anything about the picture in the dictionary?" Kai asked as he examined the patterns on the cover.

"Like I told you yesterday, I've never been able to open it."

"Why not?"

Jo took a deep breath before answering, "It was sealed with blood magic, but I gave my magic up years ago so I'm not a practicing witch anymore."

 _Blood magic?_ The familiar term was like ice water down his back.

"Does that mean…" He faltered as the words seemed to catch in his throat. "Could it be possible - "

"No." Jo stated, with a scowl. "It was probably just a fluke. You know how unreliable these spells can be sometimes, especially if it was cast by an inexperienced witch."

Kai nodded but he didn't agree. Blood magic was one of the strongest kinds of magic. It was connected to a person's bloodline, meaning it was impossible to break.

Jo glanced down at her phone. "I have to pick my kids up from school. Is that all?"

"One more thing." There was one question he had to ask. It had been fermenting on his lips since he sat down. "What was your sister's name?"

"Michelle."

Kai's gaze dropped to the grimoire on the table. He traced the edges of the cover, fingering the supple leather. Everything around him seemed to fade away. He barely took notice of Jo as she shuffled out of the booth and left. Tears glistened in his eyes and he was glad she was gone. He squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them again. When he had regained his composure, Kai stood up with the grimoire tucked under his arm.

He made the mistake of glancing at the bar and scanning the faces until his gaze landed on Tyler. Anger flared in the werewolf's eyes and he bared his teeth in a sneer, making him look remarkably animalistic even in human form. He kicked his barstool back and stormed towards Kai.

Tyler fisted Kai's shirt and slammed him against the wall, their faces inches apart. "Do you have a death wish or something, you little freak?"

Concerned looks passed over the other patrons' faces but everyone knew better than to approach the mayor's son when he was in one of his rages.

Kai shook his head. He fumbled with the grimoire as it slipped from under his arm and he struggled to grab hold of it.

Tyler let go of Kai's shirt and yanked the book from his grip. He picked up a steak knife from one of the tables and started to drive a hole through the leather cover.

"Tyler, give me the book." Kai pleaded. "Look, I'm sorry about what I did to your car. I can explain. Just give me the book."

"That was you?" Tyler's hand tightened around the knife.

Kai lunged towards him, trying to grab the grimoire. He yelped when he felt a sharp pain in his side. The metal sank deeper into his flesh and a surge of heat rushed through his body. Tyler pulled the knife out and then swung at Kai with his other hand. Kai fell to the ground when the werewolf's fist collided with his head and then his jaw. He put a hand to his side, wincing at the pain. The blood felt thick and slippery between his fingers. Kai scrunched into a ball, preparing himself for another hit that never came. Tyler growled and the knife clattered to the floor. Kai watched as he turned around and went back to sitting at the bar. Then Kai's eyes closed.

x

He opened his eyes when he heard a raspy voice calling to him.

"Malachai, wake up!" Gold-flecked brown eyes stared back at him. "You are running out of time."

Cassandra helped him up and then touched his arm. "I will keep it safe for you." She picked the grimoire up from where Tyler had thrown it on the floor.

Kai blinked and when he opened his eyes, he was already standing on the porch at home. Dizzy from the magical teleportation and blood-loss, he stumbled into the living room and fell back onto the couch.

x

Bonnie poured herself a cup of decaf coffee. It was the same kind she used to drink when she was pregnant with Micah. It tasted just like regular so she could enjoy the comfort of coffee in the afternoon without having to endure a restless night of sleeplessness.

Micah was taking a nap after his long day at school and Bonnie knew she would have at least an hour of alone time before he woke up and needed her to make him a snack or help him with homework.

She heard the front door open and close and and she recognised the tapping of Kai's boots on wood leading into the living room. She didn't know what he did everyday and she never asked. Out of curiosity, Bonnie set her coffee down and went into the living room to find out where he had been.

Sweat glistened on Kai's forehead, the ends of his brown hair damp and sticking to his skin. He looked the same way he usually did when he got back from one of his runs, covered in sweat and panting for breath. She would have assumed he was simply exhausted from an intense workout but he was wearing jeans and combat boots, not exactly ideal attire for exercising, and his eyelids kept fluttering like he was struggling to stay awake. There was a small cut above his eyebrow and dark liquid trickled from it.

As Bonnie got closer to him, she saw that a patch of his white shirt just below his ribcage was blotted with the same liquid.

Bonnie gasped when she realised what it was. The blood was dark like rusty chocolate. The sour tang of it filled the air, making her stomach churn.

Her eyes were wide with astonishment and she fumbled for words. "Kai…the blood…it's so dark." She sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "What happened?"

"It's nothing." He muttered through gritted teeth.

"Okay. Okay." Realising she had to help instead of just standing there, Bonnie steadied her breathing. "Let's get your shirt off."

Kai lifted his arms up, wincing as she peeled his t-shirt over his head and pressed it against his side. Bonnie helped to ease him down so he was flat on his back. His body was heavy and rigid in her arms.

"Easy on the pork rinds." She huffed.

Kai's laugh was loud and throaty, and quickly followed by a painful groan.

The blood flowed thickly from his broken skin, soaking through the absorbent material and staining Bonnie's trembling hands. There was a sheen of sweat on his chest. The muscles in his torso were taut and she felt them ripple, tensing and relaxing, with every laboured breath he took.

She removed the t-shirt, now wet and sticky with blood. The bleeding had stopped but Kai's pale skin was still coated with the dark liquid.

Bonnie stared at her bloodstained hands and they started to shake again. She was at a loss, with no idea of what to do next.

"Alcohol." Kai offered, lifting his head so he could take a look at the wound. "To clean it."

"We don't keep any in the house. Damon's been sober since Micah was born." Bonnie spluttered, shaking her head.

"Salt water will be fine." Kai uttered weakly. "And something to use as a bandage."

Bonnie's expression was still panicked but she nodded and went into the kitchen. She filled a glass with water and stirred some salt in. She started to fling open cupboards and rifle through drawers, looking for something to use as a bandage. Her shaking hands made the task harder and she was too overwrought to think clearly. Bonnie placed her hands on the counter and took a few slow, deep breaths. Then with calm determination, she continued to look for the supplies.

Bonnie returned to the living room with a glass of water, a dish towel, and a roll of duct tape.

"This might hurt a little." She warned before starting to pour.

Kai sucked in a breath. He flinched as the warm water splashed onto his body, washing the blood away. His jaw was clenched tight, the muscles in his cheek twitching as he fought to keep from crying out, but the sensation of salt stinging his flesh became too much to bear and a choked whimper tumbled from his lips.

Bonnie folded the dish towel into a neat square and pressed it against Kai's side, using her teeth to tear pieces of tape and secure the bandage in place. "This will have to do for now."

x

Bonnie came back with a blanket and frowned when she saw Kai sitting upright on the couch. "You're supposed to be resting, not moving around." She handed the blanket to him. "I'll check on you later."

The drops of perspiration on his bare chest had turned cool and he was grateful for the blanket.

"You should probably stay here with me." Kai suggested. "To make sure I don't lose consciousness or go into shock."

"Fine." Bonnie sat down next to him. She fidgeted with her hands, rubbing them together and intertwining her fingers. She had managed to wash the blood away, her hands now as clean and pure as before. "So what's wrong with you?"

"So many things." He rolled his eyes. "Should I start with my daddy issues or my Remus complex?" He leaned in closer like he was telling her secret. "Not to brag but I'm basically an expert in unresolved childhood trauma."

Bonnie pressed her lips together in a tight line, not amused by his humour, and he wondered if he had touched on a sensitive topic. He wanted her to laugh, to reply with a snarky comeback, to do anything but look at him like that.

"I mean what's wrong with your blood? It was so dark, and cold."

The temperature had bothered him too when he first touched it at the Mystic Grill. It poured out of him as cold as ice. Like he was dead already.

"I'm sick, very sick." It was hard to admit but once it was out, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Now you know my secret."

"Is it…Are you…" She faltered, a sympathetic frown forming on her face.

 _Is it bad? Are you going to die?_ Whatever she wanted to ask, it didn't matter. The answer was the same.

"I don't know."

Bonnie chewed on her lip. Then she inhaled and exhaled a shaky breath. "Sometimes I wish I didn't have to be someone's mom or someone's wife. Don't get me wrong, I love our little family but there was so much more I wanted to do. I could have pursued dancing or travelled the world." Her voice wavered and she paused, lifting her gaze to meet his. "But it's too late for that. This is who I am now."

Kai's expression softened. Nothing could have prepared him for Bonnie's confession. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You told me one of your secrets. Now you know one of mine."

The silence that followed was comfortable and descended over them like a warm blanket.

Bonnie shifted closer to him and pulled a plaster from her pocket. She removed the covering and stuck the adhesive strip above his eyebrow where Tyler's ring had split the skin. Her hand hovered by his face as she smoothed the plaster with her finger.

In another life he would take her hand and place it over his heart where it hurt the most. All he wanted to do was tell her the truth but she wasn't ready for it yet. He was death, decay, rot and she was a gentle summer breeze.

Once the plaster was in place, Bonnie moved back to her original position. "There must be something you can do. A cure maybe." Her honeyed voice sounded so soft and hopeful, he didn't mind that it interrupted the comfortable silence.

Kai tilted his head to the side and asked, "Are you worried about me, Bon?" His lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Don't be. I don't want your pity."

The nickname took her by surprise and Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "Then what do you want?"

 _You._

"It doesn't matter." Kai answered, looking down at her hands. He liked them more when they were covered in his blood.

x

A/N: This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I'm having so much fun writing it and I just got really excited and wanted to share. Consider it a break before the next chapter which is going to be juicy, with details revealed and some new faces (well not really new faces because they are doppelgängers after all).


	8. Chapter 8

Her confession seemed like a good idea at the time. It was a relief to verbalise it finally but after some time that feeling turned into guilt. When had it become so easy to talk to Kai? Bonnie couldn't name the exact moment she had stopped being uncomfortable around him. The awkward tension between them had worn away quietly sometime during the stilted conversations and meaningful silences.

There was something about seeing Kai in his weakened state that had given her the confidence to say exactly what was on her mind without worrying about the consequences. After he told her he was sick, Bonnie couldn't think of anything to say. His blood was so dark and unlike anything she had seen before. Asking for details about it seemed intrusive. Saying 'I'm sorry' sounded superficial. No response was good enough.

She had offered a secret of her own in exchange but now she felt empty having given it away and exposed in a way that wasn't wholly unpleasant. If Kai thought of her any differently for it, at least he did her the courtesy of not showing it. There were no judgemental looks or further questions, in fact he seemed rather unsurprised by it all together.

Bonnie shivered in the cold evening air and wrapped her arms around herself. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I got stabbed." Kai answered matter-of-factly. When she narrowed her eyes at him, unsatisfied with his response, he added, "With a knife."

It was clear she wasn't going to get anything more out of Kai. Even after the intimate act of patching him up and the mutual sharing of secrets, he was still clinging to his air of mystery.

"Trouble just seems to find you, doesn't it?" She quipped, her lips pursing into a smirk.

A dark look passed over Kai's face and he chuckled mirthlessly. "You have no idea."

Wondering what he meant by that, Bonnie picked at a loose strand on her sweater. "So how much longer are you planning on staying in Mystic Falls?"

When Kai first arrived, she couldn't wait for him to leave. Something had changed in the short time he had been there. His presence, once unwelcome and unsettling, was now something Bonnie had grown to expect. It took some getting used to, like a new piece of furniture that seemed out of place at first but after a while you couldn't remember what it was like not having it there. It would be weird if Kai were suddenly gone from their lives, especially since Micah had already formed some kind of attachment to him.

"I don't know. It's up to the universe." Kai replied, pulling the blanket around him more tightly. "I'm going to let fate decide."

"Fate?" Bonnie searched his face for some indication that he was joking, but there was none.

"You don't believe in fate?"

"What like the idea that everything is predestined by some supernatural power?"

Again, she expected him to laugh but he only offered a solemn nod of his head.

Bonnie considered it for a moment. Was it fate that made her move to Mystic Falls? Was it fate that put Damon in her path so they could fall in love? And how different would her life have been if she had moved to Wolfpine instead? Or if she had turned Damon down after Caroline dared them to go on a date? She probably wouldn't have Micah, and even just the unfortunate possibility of that made her think that maybe it was all meant to be.

For all his strangeness, at least Kai knew what he believed in. She was a conflicted mess of hope and doubt. An optimist one day, a cynic the next. Believing that there was good in the world, and yet distrusting everyone she met.

Bonnie shrugged half-heartedly. She was mad at him for asking that question and bringing up all those confused feelings. But mostly she was mad at herself for not knowing how to answer it, for never being sure about anything.

"That's not much of an answer." Kai said with a teasing quirk of his eyebrow and she bit her lip, suppressing the string of curses that came to mind.

"I'll answer your question after you answer mine first. Who did that to you?" Bonnie asked, dropping her gaze to his blanket-covered torso.

Kai's expression closed up and she felt certain he wasn't going to answer, but after a moment of thought, he licked his lips and began, "It was Tyler. We really didn't get along in high school. He was this jock with anger issues and I was…" He paused and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Well, let's just say I was a bit of a prankster and I liked pushing his buttons. I guess he's not the forgiving kind."

Bonnie's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "Tyler, huh?"

She knew he had anger issues, his drinking problem and rage blackouts were common knowledge, but she never imagined he would be capable of stabbing someone over something as stupid as a high school feud.

Bonnie sighed thoughtfully and then stood up. "Well, I should get started making dinner."

"Wait, you didn't answer my question." Kai whined as she started to walk away.

"I know." Bonnie called over her shoulder, a satisfied smile appearing on her lips.

x

The ache in his side had lessened from a roaring discomfort to an occasional sting whenever he put too much strain on it. Although Kai was feeling better, he hadn't been able to eat much at dinner. He was anxious about the grimoire. It was his only chance of getting his magic back and he had let it slip out of his grasp so easily.

After enjoying a few mouthfuls of homemade pizza and defending his choice of pineapple as a topping against Bonnie's good-natured teasing, Kai excused himself and went to his room.

He startled when he saw Cassandra leaning against the wall by the window and quickly shut the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a loud whisper.

"You wanted to see me." Cassandra watched him with a blank expression as he walked over to the wardrobe.

He grabbed the first shirt he saw and shrugged it on, carefully sliding the material over the bandage. "Where is the grimoire?"

"I told you I will keep it safe for you."

"I need it now." Kai hissed, struggling to keep his voice hushed. "Whose side are you on? Because I don't know if you're trying to help me or just making everything harder."

"Of course I am on your side." Cassandra threw her shoulders back and marched towards him. "I told you where to find Josette. I saved you from that werewolf. I found your doppelgängers." She said, counting the favours on her fingers. "I have always been on your side."

If she was expecting a thank you, she wasn't getting one from him.

"Then give me the grimoire." Kai demanded.

"It would be useless to you now. I know someone who can decipher it." Cassandra's hands twitched at her sides and he tensed, thinking she was going to reach out and touch him. She clenched her fists and looked him deep in the eye. "You cannot do this alone."

Kai huffed and folded his arms across his chest. She was right. With his lack of magic and limited resources, he was getting nowhere. "Fine, but I need some way to contact you. I can't have you slipping away from me like you did in Mist Haven."

"Just think of me. I can sense when any one of you needs me."

"Any one of us?"

"Doppelgängers. I know you came by my house yesterday. I know you saw Gina and Rhys."

"Doppelgängers." He repeated the word slowly, the unfamiliar syllables rolling harshly on his tongue.

"You can meet the others if you want." She held her hand out towards him.

Kai hesitated. "Now?"

For the first time Cassandra was actually offering to include him in something. It was the most forthcoming she had ever been. If he didn't go with her, he might not get another opportunity like that.

Kai took her hand and in the blink of an eye, he found himself standing in a small, cozy kitchen. The sink was piled with dishes and there was a pot bubbling on the stove. He wasn't close enough to see what was inside but a sweet, peppery smell, almost like basil, drifted through the air.

A woman sat perched on the edge of the kitchen table with one leg crossed over the other. She looked angelic dressed in white. Her shoulder-length blonde hair accentuated the structure of her heart-shaped face. She hopped off the table with the grace of a gazelle, her bare feet landing soundlessly on the floor.

Kai was so transfixed with her, he had forgotten Cassandra was still in the room until he heard her raspy voice speak. "Where's Xavier?"

"He's in one of his moods." The woman replied as she smoothed the creamy material of her dress.

Cassandra mumbled something and then left the kitchen, leaving them alone together.

Kai was still recovering from the effects of magical teleportation. It was similar to the queasiness you feel after riding an extremely fast rollercoaster and he had never been a big fan of rollercoasters.

He blinked a couple times and in one long, confused breath, he drawled, "You're not Bonnie."

He had been through it before with Gina. The initial surprise of seeing Bonnie looking so different, followed by the sinking realisation that the person in front of him was in fact a stranger and not Bonnie at all. Previous experience didn't make the situation any less weird.

"Nope. I'm Morgan." She extended a hand, which he politely shook. "You must be Malachai."

"You can call me Kai."

"Okay, Kai. You can sit down if you want." She suggested, slinking into a chair.

He pulled out the chair opposite her and grunted under his breath as he sat down, the muscles in his torso straining.

Morgan's green eyes widened with concern. There was a playful gleam in them he had never really noticed in Bonnie's. "What happened?" She asked, pointing to her eyebrow.

Kai mirrored the action, touching a hand to his own face and feeling the plaster there. "Oh, it's nothing."

His eyes fell on the mini potted plants in the centre of the table. The leaves were black like charcoal with an unnatural glossy coating as if someone had poured ink all over them.

Morgan noticed him staring at the plants. "Gina gets a little carried away with Expression sometimes." She traced her fingers along the leaves and started humming in a quiet, sweet-sounding voice. The plants responded as if they could hear her, the green colour bleeding back into the leaves.

Kai had heard of Expression before. It was a very dark, powerful kind of magic and the idea of someone like Gina using it sent a chill down his back. From what he had seen, she was a formidable witch and knowing that she practiced Expression only made him more weary of her.

"Who's Xavier?" He asked, remembering the name from earlier. "Is he like…me?"

"He's your doppelgänger."

"My doppelgänger." There was that strange word again. "Just like Rhys."

"Well not _just_ like Rhys. That guy gives me the creeps." She muttered, her face scrunching up into a frown. "When he looks at you with those cold eyes and that wicked grin." Morgan shuddered at the thought, and then quickly added, "No offence."

"And is Xavier like your…" It made sense to assume they were a pair just like Gina and Rhys, and yet it felt silly to say the word soulmate in a conversation with someone he had just met.

"Soulmate." Morgan finished for him, as if reading his mind. "And Bonnie is yours right?"

Kai leaned forward on the edge of his seat. "Well, I mean, how do you know?"

"You know about the prophecy, don't you?" He nodded and she continued, "Well, you just kind of feel it. When you first meet there's this intensity, this spark that tells you that you're meant to be with them forever."

Kai couldn't say for sure if he felt any intensity or spark when he first met Bonnie. What he felt was more like relief. Like resting your head on someone's lap while they tell you everything is going to be okay.

Had she felt any kind of special connection when they first met? He doubted it. The overwhelming thought of Bonnie, blissfully ignorant and oblivious to everything going on, pushed its way to the front of his mind. He could barely wrap his head around the soulmate prophecy himself. How was he going to explain it all to her?

"Just be honest with her." Morgan's voice shook him from his thoughts. "I know it seems like a lot to handle but I'm sure she's more capable than you think."

Kai's mouth fell open. _Did he say all of that out loud?_

"Oh sorry." She bit her lip and with a shy smile, she explained, "I'm a little bit psychic."

Kai felt self-conscious all of a sudden. What other thoughts of his had Morgan heard? He tried not to think of anything in particular, a white room with nothing in it, but it had the opposite effect. A myriad of random, disjointed thoughts started to race through his mind. Kai put his palms against the table and pushed himself up onto his feet. The sharp movement made his head spin and the ache in his side flared up. He grit his teeth, trying to stifle a groan.

Morgan rose from her seat and padded closer. She put her hands on his biceps, steadying him. "I'm also quite good with healing spells. If you show me what's wrong, I could try to make it better."

Kai remembered the way the plants came to life under her touch. If there was a chance she could do the same for him, it was worth a try. He lifted his shirt so Morgan could see the bandage on his side. She brushed the hair out of her face and lowered her head to get a closer look at it. With the way Morgan winced and grimaced as she pulled the pieces of duct tape from his skin, you would have thought it hurt her more than it hurt him. She removed the dish towel and placed her hands over the wound. She closed her eyes and began murmuring in latin.

Morgan was barely touching him, her fingertips lightly skimming his body, but the contact of her skin against his felt good and Kai sighed low in his throat. A warm tingle spread along his side and he could almost feel the broken skin healing and mending under her hands.

Kai looked down at Morgan. His eyes were drawn to the silver necklaces around her neck. There was one that encircled her throat with tiny stars dangling from the chain. Another had a little crystal attached to it, but there was one necklace in particular that caught his attention. Kai's gaze drifted down to the low-cut neckline of her dress and the dainty crescent-shaped pendant that rested just above the shapely swell of her breasts.

"It was my grandmother's." Morgan had finished the spell and she stepped back from him with a wistful smile on her face. "She was obsessed with lunar magic and eclipses. She used to say that witches who draw their power from nature create the purest kind of magic."

Kai put his hand on his side, running it over the smooth skin. Morgan had done a great job. She was clearly skilled with magic and it would have been nice to feel her hands on him a bit longer. The feeling of warmth and soothing energy that coursed through his body dissipated after she stepped away from him.

Kai lowered his shirt and before he could thank her, they were interrupted by Cassandra.

"So have you caught him up on everything?"

"Nope." Morgan replied, her gaze flicking to Kai. "We were just getting to know each other better while we waited for you."

"Fine. I will start at the beginning."

"And talk slowly so our new friend can keep up." A haughty laugh followed the snide comment.

Kai's eyes snapped to the doorway where he thought he heard the voice coming from, but there was no one there.

He startled when Gina materialised next to him, appearing from thin air. "How long have you been here for?"

Gina shrugged, not bothering to answer his question. "Let's get on with this." She snapped her fingers impatiently. "I'm bored already."

x

Once they were all comfortably seated at the table, Cassandra began, "It seems Michelle used a fairly simple system to code her grimoire. Rhys thinks they're runic symbols used to represent letters of the alphabet. He's working on a key that can be used to decipher the whole thing."

Kai knew he should be focusing on what she was saying but there was one thought in his mind that he couldn't get over.

"There's something I need to know first." He cut in, daring to glance at Gina across the table. "If you and Rhys were alive in 1999. How is it possible that you're here now and still look the same?"

"We're immortal duh." Gina glared back at him. "We met in 1994. I was twenty and he was twenty-two when we did the spell. We've been the same ever since."

Kai stiffened under her menacing gaze. Gina's green eyes unblinking and blazing with scorn was even more chilling than Rhys's icy blue stare.

It was hard to believe they were the same smiling couple from Crescent Cove. It shouldn't be possible and yet it was. Clearly a lot had changed since 1999.

"I was getting to that." Cassandra said, taking the opportunity to regain control of the conversation. "There is an immortality spell that goes hand-in-hand with the prophecy. It could save you but it is complicated because you are a hybrid. I do not know if you would get your magic back exactly but you will live." She swallowed thickly. "Forever."

It was strange to hear them talk about immortality so casually, as if it were just some insignificant fact barely worth mentioning.

Kai relaxed in his seat and rubbed the back of his neck. The usually comforting action did very little to ease the tension he felt.

He could tell Cassandra was holding back on something by the way her eyebrows were drawn together.

"What's the catch?" Kai asked her.

She answered, "The problem is the spell works for witches but it might not work for you because you are half vampire."

Gina's mouth curled in disgust and she muttered something in latin. Kai flinched, recognising the insult usually used by coven leaders referring to traitorous witches. With wide eyes, Morgan covered her mouth with her hand. He could only imagine what other terrible things Gina was thinking about him.

There's weird satisfaction in being liked by someone who hates everyone and in a similar sense, Gina was the kind of intimidating person people worked hard to impress even though they weren't quite sure why. As much as Kai wanted her to like him, she seemed to have some kind of aversion to him already and he was sick of her condescending looks and general bad attitude.

Kai pounded his fist against the table. "What have I ever done to you?" His cheeks felt hot, embarrassed by the unintentional whine in his voice.

"You're half vampire." Gina growled, but it lacked her usual bite. "Vampires ruined my life. I lost everyone who mattered to me because of them." She choked on the words, her voice cracking with resentment.

Kai thought about the spyglass he had broken when he was younger. He remembered the fragments sprinkled on the ground, twinkling in the light. He had tried to fix it with glue but the pieces wouldn't fit together and he knew it would never be the same as it was before.

Gina reminded him of something that had shattered and been pieced back together incorrectly. Maybe she wasn't as evil as he thought. Maybe she was just hurt.

"Then I met Rhys and together we made those vampires pay." Gina delighted in the memory, her lips curving into a gleeful smile.

 _Or maybe she was just evil._

Cassandra cleared her throat, drawing their attention back to the matter at hand. "Another problem with the spell is you and Bonnie do not have magic."

"Actually, Bonnie does have magic. It's weak but I've felt it before."

"Bonnie is a witch but she does not have magic." Cassandra's response was precise and firm.

"They're called _siphons_." Gina added, scrunching her nose as if the word itself tasted awful in her mouth. "They can't generate their own magic but they can siphon it from other sources and use it. They're almost as disgraceful as you bloodsuckers."

If Bonnie didn't have magic, then what had he felt during that first dinner? Was he so desperate to believe she would be his cure that he imagined it?

Kai wiped a hand over his face, processing what they were saying. "Can siphons be compelled?"

"Yes. It's one of their weaknesses and part of the reason they're inferior witches. They're abominations of nature, stains on our kind."

"It's not their fault." Kai replied quietly, his eyes downcast.

Gina pressed on. Her contempt for siphons was not something she was shy about. "Maybe it's a good thing Bonnie has no idea what she is. I don't think she would enjoy the way they're treated in most covens, especially considering the way the Bennett coven deals with siphons."

There was a ripple in Cassandra's usually neutral expression as she flashed Gina a stern look, causing the witch to stop talking abruptly.

Kai, who considered himself an expert on all things witch-related, found that he had trouble placing the Bennett coven. He had encountered the name before, but where? He wanted to ask more about it but as Cassandra started talking, it seemed to slip out of his mind.

Her features relaxed again and she turned to Kai. "But there is hope. Michelle did a lot of research on ancestral and blood magic. I remember her mentioning a spell that could link people who were closely related. As doppelgängers, you share a lot of the same traits. Maybe if we could link you all together we could use your collective power to cast the immortality spell."

Between finding out Jo was his aunt and obtaining his mother's grimoire, Kai's old desire to find out more about his maternal family was resurfacing. For so long he believed he was all alone but now he had a way to discover everything he wanted to know about the Parkers and the coven he belonged to.

He brushed those thoughts away in favour of pondering what Cassandra had said. It was a good thing he did because the solution she was suggesting could get very complicated and very messy.

"I think I get it. It's like you're trying to trick the universe into thinking that their magic is mine and Bonnie's. We're all so similar it might actually work." Kai frowned, still not sure if he liked the idea or not. "Like some witchy sleight of hand. "

"You make it sound so sinister when you say it like that." Morgan had been quite for a while, busying herself with the plants on the table and getting up occasionally to stir the contents of the pot on the stove. Her tender voice was a welcome sound. "It might not be the perfect soulmate love story you want but for you it's a matter of life and death. You do what you have to do."

"If you want to survive, you have to be prepared to do whatever it takes. Trust me." Gina seemed almost sincere. There was no glower or scowl on her face, only a hardened look that told him she spoke from experience.

He considered the two witches in front of him. Gina with her sharp tongue, dressed in full black. Morgan with her bubbly spirit and hair like honey. A thunderstorm and a ray of sunshine. They were so different, yet with that same likeness he had grown to know in Bonnie.

He wondered which kind of witch she would be. A free-spirit who used her magic to help people? Or a femme fatale who used Expression to indulge in her darker proclivities?

He was surprised to find that both options excited him equally.

"They are right, Malachai. The prophecy is only like a blueprint. Things do not always work out the way you want them to, and then you do what you must. Fate will only take you so far. The rest is up to you." Cassandra finished and watched him expectantly.

"Okay. Let's do this." Despite the tremble in his voice, Kai felt confident. He had a plan and an unlikely team of people prepared to help him with it. "There's still something I need to know." His gaze shifted between Bonnie's lookalikes. "You don't get anything out of it. Why would you agree to help us?"

Morgan's face brightened. "Because it's our honour to help bring two soulmates together. Watching you and Bonnie fall in love and be happy, knowing that we contributed towards making that happen, is the greatest gift."

"And I had nothing better to do." Gina said, picking at the chipped black polish on her fingernail.

x

A/N: Not a lot of bonkai this time but I teased details so I had to deliver. There was some kina and morkai though (those aren't the greatest ship names but the point is they have chemistry in every version). I hope you guys like the doppelgängers as much as I do. They're still just side characters though. The next chapter will be mostly bonkai because I missed Bonnie:)


	9. Chapter 9

Bonnie sucked in a breath and knocked on Kai's door. There was no response, only the echo of her knuckles rapping against wood. She assumed he had fallen asleep and turned to walk away but before she could, she heard a heavy thud from inside his room, followed by a muffled groan and a colourful curse word.

With one hand on the door handle, Bonnie contemplated going in to investigate the unusual sound. She noted the sliver of light coming from the gap beneath the door that was dark a moment ago.

It had only been four hours since she dressed Kai's wound. Although he said he felt all right, he was still injured and she should at least make sure he was okay.

Bonnie pushed the door open to find Kai standing with his back braced against the wall and a hand clamped to his forehead. There was a queasy expression on his face and he looked unusually pale.

A cool draft blew through the open window, the paper-thin curtains rippling in the air. Bonnie caught a faint whiff of something earthy and sweet-smelling, almost like roasting herbs. She sniffed, trying to discern the scent, but it dissipated quickly and she wondered if she had imagined it.

"Are you - " Bonnie paused, thinking she heard the sound of women talking but when she stopped to listen, the distant, chattering sound vanished. "Are you okay?"

Kai waved a hand in the air. "Just feeling a little dizzy." His words were slow and languid, like he was still waking up.

He swallowed hard and his eyes dropped to the floor. Bonnie followed his gaze to a book that looked like one of the encyclopaedias in the study. It was bound in brown leather and similar to a phonebook in size.

"What is that?" She asked.

He moved forwards to pick the book up, his lanky frame wobbling with his unsteady steps. "It's the very valuable thing I told you about."

"Huh." Bonnie gave a disappointed huff and folded her arms across her chest. "Looks like a dusty old book to me."

Kai plopped down on the unmade bed with the book resting on his lap.

Even from her place by the doorway, the disarray of the room seemed to suffocate her. She tried to overlook it as she scanned the room, internally cringing at the mess of clothes, books, and candy wrappers spilling out from under his bed.

There was a towel on the floor not far from where she was standing. It was still damp by the looks of it, the moisture seeping into the unfinished hardwood floor. The urge to scold was bubbling up inside her but she contained it by pressing her lips into a hard line.

"I wanted to see how you were doing." Bonnie said, glancing down at his abdomen. "If you want to get it checked out, I can drive you to the hospital in Wolfpine tomorrow."

She had a few hours in between Caroline's final dress fitting and the rehearsal dinner. It would be sufficient time to make the trip there and back.

"No thanks. I'm actually feeling a lot better." Kai replied assuredly, but the sickly pallor of his face told her otherwise. Before she could insist, he shook his head and added, "I totally forgot about that whole curse thing."

The nearest hospital being almost an hour out of town was rather troublesome but the residents of Mystic Falls were a little too stuck in their ways to do anything about it. A long time ago, during a period of mayhem and discord, the only hospital in the town had burnt down in a mysterious fire. As most of the townsfolk believed the place was cursed, the hospital was never rebuilt. She had mentioned the unusualness of it to Carol Lockwood before, but even the mayor seemed reticent about the matter.

"You don't actually believe the town is cursed, do you?" Bonnie asked with a quirk of her eyebrow. "I've heard about a hundred different versions of that story and they're all ridiculous."

Kai ran a hand over his stubble, thinking for a moment. "I've only heard one version and if you heard the way my father told it, you might start to believe it too."

A smile tugged at Bonnie's lips. She tried to turn her face away before he noticed it, but she had learned it was nearly impossible to hide anything from Kai's observation.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing." She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling outright. "I just didn't think you were the superstitious kind."

His fingers trailed through his hair, twiddling the brown strands. "Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do."

Bonnie uttered a thoughtful sigh. "Maybe." She turned to leave, quietly muttering, "Goodnight Kai."

When she offered to drive him to Wolfpine, she had hoped he would refuse. With only one more day to go until Caroline's wedding, there wasn't much time and energy to be wasted on forced politeness. She set her alarm for early the next morning and settled into bed, already dreading the blaring sound.

x

The kitchen was warm and filled with the aroma of food cooking. It was a nice atmosphere for relaxing and reflecting on the events of the day. Bonnie perched at the kitchen island and opened her planner. Exhaustion had been building inside her all day long and now that she had a moment's break, it crashed down on her all at once. She went down her to-do list, ticking off the tasks she had completed. It was her favourite thing to do after a long day and the feeling of accomplishment she got from it was unmatched.

Her busy morning consisted mostly of making sure the various vendors were still on schedule and everything would be ready at the venue on time.

The final dress fitting was more emotional than Bonnie expected. Seeing Caroline all dressed up like a bride had induced some tender feelings and they were both teary messes by the end of it. Caroline had opted for a wine-red dress instead of a traditional white one. It was an unusual choice and totally consistent with her taste, which was anything but conventional.

Although she would never admit it to her notoriously stubborn best friend, Bonnie was glad the colour scheme had been changed from turquoise to dusty rose. It was a much more romantic colour and she preferred her pink bridesmaid dress to the initial greenish-blue one.

The practice run-through of the ceremony went smoothly. Caroline had been a little nit-picky about some of the details but overall she seemed quite pleased with it. Micah had performed his role as the ring bearer perfectly and Bonnie smiled at the memory of him striding down the aisle.

There was one thing still left un-ticked on her to-do list. As the wedding planner and the maid of honour, she sometimes felt that she had double the responsibilities, and the rehearsal dinner happened to be one of them.

The food was basically prepared. She had butternut soup cooking in a crockpot, chicken parmesan baking in the oven, and strawberry cheesecake chilling in the fridge.

Since the rehearsal dinner wasn't nearly as important as the wedding, it was easy to procrastinate planning it; a decision Bonnie was beginning to regret. She had just under two hours to turn the backyard patio into an intimate, festive area suitable for a dinner party.

Bonnie started by setting the long, wooden patio table. She had to use two large tablecloths to cover the surface. It was hard to keep the white material in place as it flapped in the breeze. The wind was cold and biting, but the dining table inside wasn't big enough to accommodate all the people Caroline had invited, so she had to make do with the patio.

Bonnie moved swiftly and methodically as she lay the table. Forks on the left. Knives on the right. While she was busy laying porcelain plates and crystal glasses, the sun dipped beneath the skyline. She switched the patio lights on and disappointment coursed through her when it didn't get any brighter.

Damon had been reminding her to buy new lightbulbs for weeks. The patio lights used a very specific kind of lightbulb that was only sold in a store all the way across town. She had been putting it off out of sheer laziness and without Damon's reminders, it had completely slipped her mind.

Bonnie groaned and fell into a chair with her head in her hands. Everything seemed hopeless in the dwindling light of dusk. She allowed herself to wallow in self-pity for a few minutes. Then she stood up and started to think of solutions.

x

Bonnie rifled through drawers in the kitchen, looking for the palm wax candles she saved for special occasions.

The heavenly smell that came from the oven made her mouth water. She had taken a few shortcuts with the menu but her chicken parmesan was always a crowd-pleaser.

Kai leaned against the counter, eating a bowl of froot loops.

"What are you looking for?" He asked in between bites.

"Candles." She answered quickly, still poring through items in the drawers.

He stopped crunching the cereal and mumbled, "Why?"

"The patio lights stopped working. I forgot to change the bulbs and it's too late to go buy new ones now."

Bonnie gave a squeal of joy as she found the candles in one of the cupboards. She gathered as many as she could, hugging them to her chest.

"You might have a hard time keeping those aflame with the way the wind is blowing." Kai brought the bowl up to his mouth and slurped the remaining milk.

Bonnie's face fell, knowing he had a point, but she didn't have any other options.

She placed the candles along the table and lit them. The flames flickered in the breeze but still continued to burn. In addition to the crystallised patterns, palm wax candles also burned more slowly and brightly than regular candles.

The comforting glow of candlelight did improve the setting but it still wasn't the classy, formal event Caroline was probably expecting. When Bonnie first undertook the responsibility of the rehearsal dinner, she had a whole different idea for it in mind but she couldn't dwell on that when there was still work to do.

Her next job was making the place cards for the guests. As Bonnie put pen to paper, the knowledge from the calligraphy classes she took came rushing back to her. The ink flowed fluidly across the paper, with thin upstrokes and thick downstrokes, and a few twirls and curls every now and then. It was not a skill that came in handy often but it was still nice to be able to do it.

Bonnie stopped writing after she had completed all the names from Caroline's guest list. She sucked on the pen between her lips, deciding if she should make a place card for Damon. It was unlikely that he would return just in time for the rehearsal dinner but with a hopeful flourish of her pen, she wrote his name on a place card.

x

Bonnie finished putting the cards in their appropriate places, strategically making sure Caroline's place was as far away from Carol's as possible.

Kai came out onto the patio holding strings of christmas lights.

"The timer on the oven went off. I also think these might be a little more effective." He said, dangling the lights.

"Where did you find those?"

"In one of the boxes in the study."

He had both multi-coloured lights and white lights. Bonnie thought the multi-coloured ones would look a little too festive so she chose the white ones, which prompted the idea of using magnolia flowers to add a fresh decorative element to the table.

The installers were still in place along the wall from the last time they used the lights. It didn't take long for Kai to set them up and connect them to a power source.

While he did that, Bonnie took the chicken parmesan out of the oven and checked on the butternut soup.

Then she started to pick flowers from the magnolia tree. The ones on the lower branches were small and withered but they were the only ones she could reach, even standing on her tip-toes. The flowers higher up on the tree were bigger and more vibrant but even Kai, tall as he was, wouldn't be able to reach them.

"You know the best ones grow higher up." She heard Kai say behind her. "I used to climb this tree all the time." His voice got louder, until he was standing right next to her.

Bonnie nodded and brought the flowers up to her nose, inhaling the sweet fragrance. It was a good thing the palm wax candles were unscented so she wouldn't have to worry about clashing aromas.

Kai put his foot on a ridge in the trunk of the tree. He ran his hands along the bark until he found a stable hold and then he pulled himself up. His other foot found another ridge in the trunk and he started to climb. Once he was standing firmly on one of the lower branches, he stopped climbing, waiting for her.

Bonnie considered the handful of wilting flowers she had. They were nice enough but not nearly as big and striking as the ones at the top of the tree. The ground was littered with weather-beaten blooms that had been shaken by the wind. Bonnie turned her palm downwards, releasing the flowers. They fell to the ground with a soft, pattering sound. She kicked her boots off and placed her bare feet on the same ridges in the trunk she remembered Kai stepping on. The muscles in her legs tensed as she climbed higher and she clenched her toes to get a firmer grip on the bark.

Without Kai's impressive height and experience, Bonnie found that climbing was not as easy as he made it look. Even with his injury, he moved up the branches with unexpected agility. She kept her eyes on his combat boots, watching them disappear further up the tree and trying to follow his steps exactly.

Leaves swiped at her from all directions as she moved through the lush foliage. They were guided only by the moonlight that trickled down through the branches, but Kai seemed to know exactly where he was going. He never faltered and she followed him with quiet determination.

As they went higher, it became harder for Bonnie to ignore the knot of trepidation in her stomach. Even though she refused to look down, she could still imagine the distance between herself and the ground, and the thought made her heart beat faster. Whether she was fuelled by the spike of adrenaline or the reward of the flowers at the top, Bonnie never stopped climbing. She panted from the exertion, feeling uncomfortably warm in her sweater and jeans.

Eventually, she got to a point where she had to stop. The next branch above her was too high up for her to reach. Her only option was to jump and try to grab onto it, but she knew that was a bad idea. While climbing behind Kai, she had noticed two distinct habits in the way he moved. He tugged at each branch first, making sure it was steady before he gripped it, and he made sure that three of his limbs were firmly planted on the tree at any given time. After watching him, Bonnie learnt to do the same.

Kai must have sensed her absence behind him because he climbed back down until he was standing on the branch above her. He crouched down and wrapped his arm around the trunk of the tree. Then he offered her his other hand. Bonnie looked at the thin branch he was standing on and imagined it snapping underneath their feet. She thought of the wound in his side and wondered how he would be able to pull her up. She hesitated to take his hand, hoping he couldn't see how afraid she really was.

"I got you." There was a quietness in the tree and his words were whispered like a secret.

After a deep breath, Bonnie wiped her hand on her jeans and then wrapped it around his forearm. She felt his fingers close around her arm. She pushed off the branch she was standing on, her nails digging into his arm as he pulled her up. She swung one leg over the branch so she was straddling it. Her grip on Kai's arm loosened and he stood up, leaning on the trunk of the tree. Bonnie did the same, her fingers brushing along his form for support. Once they were both standing firmly, she let out a shaky breath against his chest as he towered over her. Their bodies were pressed close together, using each other to balance on the narrow branch.

"Have you ever fallen from here?" She asked.

A wide grin spread across his face. "Never."

They were high up in the tree and the magnolia flowers that grew there were as big as her hand, with petals whiter than snow. Instead of picking them, she decided to continue climbing.

Bonnie twisted around to face away from Kai and prepared to move further up the tree. Before she realised it, her back was pressed flush against Kai's chest. She glanced down at the branch they were standing on and her legs started to tremble. An overwhelming dizzy feeling surged through her. The sight of everything around her spinning made Bonnie's body slacken and shake. Her eyes drooped closed, thinking she was going to fall.

Kai wrapped his arm around her waist and hugged her tightly against his chest. Bonnie stiffened at first. The as her rapid breathing slowed down, she relaxed into him and her eyes fluttered open. She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder.

Kai's breath fanned her cheek. "Don't look down." His whispering added to the tickling sensation and she could smell a hint of the sugary cereal he had eaten earlier.

When Bonnie was steady again, he let go of her waist. She shuffled away from him on the branch and continued climbing, pulling herself up onto the branch above them.

"Where are you going?" He called after her.

She heard the leaves rustling behind her as he started to climb too. Being in the lead was a little nerve-wracking. She wasn't as familiar with climbing as Kai was, but she had learnt a lot from observing him. Her step was more hesitant than his but she kept going, trusting her own sense of direction.

When Bonnie reached a branch that was almost level with the roof of the house, she crouched down and used her hands for support as she moved along the branch. It took a few moments for her to gather one last bit of courage and hop onto the roof. She scrambled further up towards the ridge of the roof where the slope was less precarious.

She had been on the roof once before to watch a meteor shower but she had used a ladder to get there. The sense of satisfaction she felt after having climbed up there made the view that much more beautiful.

Bonnie sat clutching her knees, with the soles of her feet pressed firmly against the tiles to keep from sliding down. Kai joined her shortly. He had his legs stretched out in front of him and he leaned back, propping himself up on his elbows.

He lifted his face towards the dark sky dusted with twinkling stars. The moon was big and bright, and almost full. The pale light cast a silvery glow on his face.

Bonnie dusted her hands together, trying to get rid of the dirt that clung to them while climbing. Her palms were reddened and chafed from the scratchy bark.

"So what was your father's version of the story?" She asked, brushing the breeze-blown hair out of her face.

A strong gust of wind lifted Kai's shirt, exposing a strip of skin below his navel. He sat up straight and quickly tugged his shirt down, fiddling with the hem while he talked.

"When the town was founded there were these people who fed on human blood and it was said their blood had the ability to heal any affliction. Some of them were vicious, bloodthirsty monsters and some of them were good people who just couldn't control their craving."

Kai had a good voice for storytelling. His words sounded clear and steady before they were carried away with the breeze that whirled around.

"Eventually, the founding families reached an agreement with the good ones. They would work in the hospital, using their blood to help people and in exchange they would have access to blood bags that had been donated, so they could feed without hurting anyone."

Kai stopped talking and looked down, kicking the heel of his boot against the tiles. He played with the scruff on his chin as if deep in thought, and she could tell he was reluctant to finish the story.

"Then what happened?" Bonnie prodded.

"The system worked for a long time." He continued in a sombre tone. "Until it didn't. One day there was a fire at the hospital and it burnt to the ground. Many people died and since then, townsfolk believed the place was cursed and it was never rebuilt."

Bonnie brushed leaves and twigs from her sweater as she thought about his story. It wasn't nearly as grandiose and sensationalist as what she was familiar with.

"Is that similar to the stories you've heard?" Kai asked.

"Kind of, but it wasn't people who fed on blood. In every story they're these faceless, corpse-like creatures. They were called…" Her eyebrows furrowed together as she tried to remember. "It was this really weird-sounding name."

He let her ponder it for a moment before saying, "Vampires."

"Yeah."

"They look like people. I wonder where the faceless, corpse-like thing came from."

"Maybe it's just a little easier that way. I mean it would be kind of discomforting to know that people who look like you, and talk like you, and think like you, are also capable of ripping someone's throat out with their teeth."

"So you believe it then? You believe vampires exist?"

Bonnie shook her head. "I'll believe it when I see it."

A stern look crossed Kai's face, his characteristic coolness gone, replaced by something dark and grim. He exhaled a sharp puff of air, almost a snort. His lips parted to say something and pressed together again as he decided against it.

In an attempt to fill the uneasy silence, Bonnie continued, "I don't know why any parent would tell their child such a horrible story. It's only going to scare them."

"I don't think my father shared your take on parenting. He liked it when people were afraid of him."

Damon had told her about his father once before, but she had trouble remembering what he said. The conversation felt distant and hazy like it had happened in a dream. Although she couldn't remember the exact details, she generally got the sense that they did not have a good relationship.

It was different with Kai. When he talked about his father, she could almost taste the bitter sting of his words. It was obvious he felt more slighted than his brother. A vivid picture formed in her mind of a man who favoured his one son over the other, and enjoyed inspiring fear in everyone around him.

Kai licked his lips and went on, "It's actually kind of weird being here now. I don't remember this house ever being warm and pleasant like it is now. Micah is lucky to have you." He paused, swiping his tongue over his lips again. "And Damon."

The softness in his voice made Bonnie's stomach flutter. She never expected that kind of tender sincerity from Kai. Although, everything sounded profound and heart-felt when said on a rooftop while looking up at the stars.

As nice as it was to hear, she wished he hadn't mentioned Damon. She was doing a good job of not thinking about him, but now she had to confront those feelings again.

"I just wish he were here now. This is the biggest wedding of my career and Caroline is our best friend. This is not how I imagined it going. I thought he would be here to help me, to calm me down when I get stressed, to remind me to buy lightbulbs." She laughed, but the sound was sharp and choked with emotion. "I can't do it alone."

Kai turned to her, his expression softened by the dim glow of moonlight. "You don't have to to do it alone."

Bonnie didn't respond, not trusting herself to say anything without revealing how emotional she was.

He cleared his throat and added, "Micah is a very capable child. It's about time he started earning his keep."

She turned to look at him with a frown. Kai chuckled nervously at his own joke, clearly trying to lighten the sentimental mood he created.

Bonnie smiled in spite of the agitation that weighed heavy on her mind. She had never thought of Kai as anything more than her husband's deadbeat brother, but there she was sitting on the roof with him and talking about things she would never talk to anyone else about. That had to count for something.


	10. Chapter 10

Bonnie stood in the narrow hallway, twisting back and forth in front of the full-length mirror. She smacked her lips together and tilted her head to the side, wondering if a darker shade of lipstick would complement her green dress better. The cool, silky material felt like liquid as it rubbed against her skin. The delicate thin straps kept sliding down her shoulders no matter how many times she adjusted them.

She reached behind her head to fasten a necklace around her neck. Squeezing the dainty clasp between her thumb and forefinger, she tried to hook it onto the other end but it was tricky to do without seeing it and relying on touch alone. In moments like that, she truly felt the weight of Damon's absence.

As she continued to fidget with the clasp, she heard Kai's footsteps coming down the hallway. The thud of his boots against the wooden floor got louder until she could see him in the mirror. When he caught her eye in the reflection, his jaw tightened and he visibly swallowed. Still struggling with the necklace, Bonnie stepped closer to the wall to allow him to pass. Instead of continuing down the hallway, Kai stopped behind her and took the two ends of the gold chain from her hands. His knuckles brushed her skin as he fumbled with the clasp and he released an agitated huff against her neck. His warm breath tickled as it fanned her skin. Bonnie's hands twitched at her sides, desperate to have something to do.

They stood almost as close as they had in the tree, but she wasn't dizzy with fright like she had been before. She was completely present in the moment and fully aware of Kai's tall frame lingering behind her. Close, but not touching. If she took even the smallest step backwards, she would feel his chest pressing against her back exactly like before, except this time there was no arm wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling.

Kai continued working on the necklace. The clasp was a challenge even for his nimble fingers. Eventually, he managed to fasten it. Before she could thank him, Bonnie felt his finger trail down her back. There was nothing but silky-smooth chiffon separating them and her breath hitched at the tingle that followed his touch.

A strong breeze rushed through the hallway, stirring the folds of her dress. Loose tendrils of hair fell from her up-do. The hallway was usually draughty but something felt different. The air crackled with energy. Bonnie's palms became warm and tingly. She brushed the hair out of her face and smoothed her billowing dress. The breeze subsided and everything was still again.

She noted Kai's stormy expression in the mirror. Even in heels, she still had to lift her chin to look him in the eye. His jaw clenched and his gaze flicked lower down to the pink stone resting against the dip of her neck.

"Where did you get that necklace?" He asked.

It took a moment for Bonnie to answer, not expecting that question from him. "I found it." She brought a hand up to her neck and fingered the round pendant. "It was in Damon's wardrobe when I moved in." When she asked him about it, he said he didn't know who it belonged to but she liked to imagine it might have been his mother's.

She thought Kai might have more to say about the necklace since he seem so fascinated by it, but he only gave a lazy nod of his head like he couldn't care less and then disappeared into the kitchen, leaving her alone with her reflection in the hallway.

Bonnie twiddled the pink stone as she examined it in the mirror. She didn't wear the necklace often, preferring to save it for special occasions or times when she needed a little bit of courage. That night happened to be both. There was something about the necklace that she hadn't told anyone else about. When she put it on, it made her feel like a different person, like someone a lot stronger than she really was. Although she knew it was just a psychological thing and she didn't actually believe in talismans, it still felt good to be wearing it.

Bonnie pursed her lips one last time and decided she had made the right choice with her lipstick. It matched the pink stone perfectly.

x

It wouldn't be long before guests started arriving. Bonnie went into the kitchen to make sure the food was ready for serving. Kai stood by the fridge, sipping on a juice box. He had a faraway look in his eyes as he stared at Micah's artwork hanging on the fridge. When he hardly even registered her entering the kitchen, Bonnie assumed he was lost in thought. It was unlikely he found drawings of rainbows and stick figures that intriguing.

Bonnie removed the lid from the crockpot and the sweet smell of butternut drifted up to her nose. She couldn't resist dipping a spoon into the soup and tasting a creamy mouthful.

She heard Micah calling out for her. His voice sounded excited and echoey, and she guessed he was in the living room.

"In here." Bonnie yelled, drawing him into the kitchen.

Micah bounded in and put his hands on his hips, flaunting his outfit. "What do you think?"

"Very sharp." She fixed the collar of his shirt and booped him on the nose.

The boy turned to Kai, his lips puckered in a pout. "Why are you still dressed like that?"

Kai's eyebrows drew together and he glanced down at the t-shirt and sweatpants he was wearing.

"Micah." Bonnie chided while smoothing his curls. He still hadn't outgrown that habit most kids had of plainly saying whatever they were thinking. She wasn't quite sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Right, the rehearsal dinner." Kai squeezed the juice box in his hand, sucking down the last drop. "I should get out of your way." He threw the empty box in the bin and started to walk away.

"Or you could stay." Bonnie blurted out and then bit her lip, but it was too late.

Kai stopped and turned around. "What?"

She had an opportunity to take it back, to say something else, anything else. He would just think he misheard her the first time.

Caroline would definitely be upset if she altered the guest list, and Tyler even more so, but they weren't her concern in that moment. Her only thought was of Kai picking magnolia flowers and searching through boxes in the study until he found the christmas lights for her.

"Stay." She repeated, fisting the folds of her dress. "You helped me put this whole dinner together, with the lights and the flowers. You should at least see how it goes."

"Uh, I don't know." Kai hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't think Tyler would be happy about that."

"It might be an opportunity for you to work things out." Bonnie suggested with more confidence than she felt. There was a very slim chance they could actually get along with each other. Kai's presence would probably cause a bit of drama, but at least she wouldn't have to look at Damon's empty seat all night.

"I…I don't think it's a good idea. Besides…I already ate dinner." His faltering response was punctuated with a half-shrug.

"Froot loops is not a substantial dinner." A faint smile appeared on her lips when she realised it was something she had also said to Micah on multiple occasions.

Kai started to protest again but it was lacking in conviction and drowned out by Micah cheering 'Stay' over and over again.

"Well I guess I am kind of hungry." He relented at last, causing Micah to pump a victorious fist in the air.

x

"So, what do you think?" Bonnie threw her hands up, gesturing around the patio. "I know it's probably not what you were hoping for but - "

"It's wonderful. I couldn't have done it better myself." Caroline replied and clinked her glass against Bonnie's. She was a terrible liar. Her rapid blinking and strained smile gave her away every time. She tossed a withering look in Kai's direction. "What is he doing here?"

Bonnie stiffened in her seat. She adjusted the strap of her dress, fiddling with it as she explained. "I felt bad. I couldn't just ask him to leave. Since Damon couldn't be here, consider him a Salvatore stand-in."

She snuck a sideways glance at Kai, who was making small talk with one of the bridesmaids. He looked good having swapped his t-shirt and sweatpants for a crisp, white shirt and black slacks. Although, to her annoyance, he left the shirt untucked and the two top buttons undone.

Caroline didn't seemed convinced. "So he's your date?" She asked with a disapproving frown.

Bonnie choked on her drink and spluttered, "No!" Her cheeks heated up at the suggestion.

"Do I need to remind you who we're talking about here? You said this guy was trouble. You were so freaked out about him coming to stay with you, you couldn't focus on anything else. No one even knew he existed and then he just showed up out of the blue?" Caroline finally paused to take a breath. "And now he's like your best friend or something?"

Bonnie listened quietly, but she wasn't entirely focused on the conversation. Her gaze kept flittering to Kai. She was keenly aware of him and his movements. She tried to listen to what he was saying but he was standing quite far from her and it was impossible to hear as long as Caroline kept jabbering away next to her. When she finally did stop and there was a longer pause than before, Bonnie realised she had to say something.

Kai was getting closer. He had moved on from the bridesmaid and was walking straight towards her. She lifted her arm off the armrest of the chair and folded it across her body so their elbows wouldn't brush together when he sat down next to her. The place card still had Damon's name on it. She didn't have time to get her calligraphy set out again and make another one for Kai, but she hoped he would sit there anyway. To her surprise, he walked past the table and stopped by the wall to untangle a knot in the string of christmas lights.

She was so distracted, it took a lot of effort to look Caroline in the eye and say, "He can't be my best friend. You're my best friend."

Caroline's stern expression softened. "Just try to keep him away from Tyler. Apparently they were like enemies in high school or something."

"Yeah I heard about that." She shuddered at the memory of Kai's shirt soaked in blood. "They need to talk it out and get over it."

"They won't. Boys are so stupid." Caroline muttered, rolling her eyes. "Speaking of stupid boys, have you heard anything from Damon?"

Bonnie shook her head. With all the wedding preparation, calling Damon had been pushed far down her to-do list but she never stopped thinking about him and wondering when he was going to come home.

Caroline downed the rest of her drink in one big gulp. "I'm getting married tomorrow. He has to be there." With a defeated sigh, she slumped in her seat and rested her head on the back of the chair.

"He'll be there." Bonnie assured her. She offered more half-hearted words of comfort, but her voice trailed off as her attention was divided.

Kai and Tyler had just noticed each other. They appeared to be locked in a staring match, with their shoulders squared and their fists clenched.

The reality of what she had done started to dawn on Bonnie. If they had another fight and Kai got hurt again, it would be all her fault. She had to do something before things got out of control.

x

"You've got to be kidding me." Tyler sneered, cracking his knuckles and then his neck.

Kai flinched at the popping sound and started to back away. Without his magic, he was no match for a werewolf. There was nothing he could do to stop Tyler from ripping him apart and splattering his poisoned blood across the patio.

Tyler advanced, intent on finishing what he started in the diner. He let out a loud grunt that sounded more animal-like than human. He grabbed Kai by the collar, jostling him back and forth. Kai gasped at the sudden force. He haphazardly clawed at Tyler's shirt and managed to tear the breast pocket. Tyler's grip on him relaxed as he watched the strip of black material float to the ground. Kai didn't have much experience with fistfights. In a panicked fury, he grabbed the collar of Tyler's shirt so they were stuck together, wildly pushing and pulling each other. While he tried to figure out what to do next, he became aware of Bonnie trying to separate them.

"Stop!" She put a hand on each of their chests and pushed them away from each other. They both fell backwards, staggering and groaning. Kai had never felt anything like it before. A searing hot pain ripped through his chest like flames were eating away at his marrow.

Bonnie jumped back from them, surprised by her own strength.

Tyler recovered first. His face was reddened and contorted in a grimace. He stood up straight and stormed towards Kai, who was almost on his knees, crumpling from the pain.

"Look, I don't want to fight anymore." Kai muttered through clenched teeth. His hand trembled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a mechanism he had taken from Tyler's car.

The car was a rare antique and some of the parts were irreplaceable. Kai had kept the starter pinion gear, knowing that the car couldn't work without it and it would cost Tyler a small fortune to get his hands on a replacement.

Back then he would have laughed at the idea of making peace with Tyler but the situation had changed. Their feud was just another thing hanging over his head, sapping the little energy he had left. He was running out of time. His first priority had to be fulfilling the prophecy and getting his magic back, but he couldn't focus on that with a werewolf constantly at his throat.

He offered the gear to Tyler. "Now you can fix your car."

Tyler looked down at the gear. His fists were clenched at his sides. It seemed like he was about to throw a punch, but then his hands relaxed. He growled under his breath and snatched the gear from Kai. The glint of anger in his eyes dulled and he nodded sharply before walking away.

x

The house was quiet again. All the guests had left, taking the lively stream of chatter with them.

Kai scraped the remaining crumbs of cheesecake from his plate and popped it in his mouth.

Bonnie covered a plate of leftover chicken parmesan with aluminium foil and put it in the microwave. "For Damon." She explained, but he already knew.

Every night she would keep a portion of dinner in the microwave for him, just in case he came home, and when he didn't, Micah usually ended up eating it as a midnight snack.

Bonnie had a tired look in her eyes. Playing the role of the hostess must have been exhausting. For most of the evening she had been busy making sure glasses were filled and conversation was flowing. Her gaze fell on the sink full of dishes and she groaned.

She reached down to take her shoes off. The movement was awkward and shaky with her tight underskirt clinging to her. As she held onto a barstool, she unbuckled the straps of her heels with some difficulty and then slid them off. She paced around lightly on her bare feet.

Figuring he might as well help with the dishes, Kai unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and rolled the sleeves up. He hesitated when Bonnie stepped closer to him.

His gaze fell on the pendant around her neck. When he helped her put it on, he got a good look at the stone. It was so similar to the necklace Jo had given him. He would have thought it was the same one, except his had a silver chain and Bonnie's was gold.

She unfastened little clips from her up-do and tossed them on the counter one by one. Her hair fell down her back in tousled locks. "I'm glad you and Tyler worked things out. It was actually very mature of you."

"You sound surprised." He leaned back against the kitchen island, resting his elbows on the countertop.

"Well, you did dismantle his car as some kind of juvenile prank, so can you blame me?"

"Oh, you wound me." With a dramatic sigh, Kai put a hand on his chest and his face contorted into a pained expression as if her words were a physical blow. Then his lips quirked into a grin. "But you have to admit it was kind of funny."

Bonnie put her hand over her mouth. The skin around her eyes crinkled and he knew she was smiling.

Her bare feet padded softly across the floor as she closed the distance between them.

Kai's back stiffened against the edge of the countertop. "Bonnie - "

She put her finger on his lips. "Shhh." She hummed as her finger trailed lower down, tracing the hard lines of his jaw, then his neck, then his chest, then his stomach, until she reached his waistline.

The strap of her dress slipped off her shoulder. Kai's fingers skimmed along her arm with the intention of adjusting it for her. The pads of his fingers barely brushed against her skin, but that slight touch only made him crave more. He left the strap dangling loosely on her arm. His hand moved lower down, snaking around her waist and resting on her lower back. His grip was gentle at first but tightened as desire coursed through him in a flood.

Bonnie tilted her chin upwards. Her lips parted with the delicacy of a blooming lily. Kai imagined them pressed against his, spilling more of her little secrets in between breaths.

His tongue flicked over his lips, tasting the sugary sweetness of strawberry cheesecake. He swallowed hard as Bonnie's fingers flittered along his stomach, occasionally playing with the buttons of his shirt. He drew in a deep breath. The persistent, subtle fragrance of magnolia flowers still lingered on both of them, soaked into their skin like perfume. Closing his eyes, Kai lowered his head until his parted mouth hovered just above Bonnie's. Anticipation coiled through him. They were so close he could feel her breath fanning his lips as she exhaled.

He wanted to savour those few moments before their lips connected. Sometimes when he had trouble sleeping, he thought about what it would be like. In his dreams there was no guilt or complication. It was just the two of them and the eternal cosmic tie that held them together. The bittersweet reality couldn't be as satisfying but he still craved the taste. He didn't want to wait any longer.

A gust of cold air hit his torso and Kai's eyes snapped open. Bonnie let out a choked gasp. Her hands were knotted in his shirt, lifting it up to expose his abdomen. He had been too caught up in the moment to notice her undoing the buttons.

"I knew it." Bonnie breathed. "You haven't been acting like someone who got stabbed yesterday." There was accusation in her voice and she looked at him like he had wronged her in some unthinkable way. "How is this possible?"

It was the moment he had been dreading. He knew he would have to tell her about magic and the prophecy eventually, but he hoped there would be more time. He wasn't ready to explain and she wasn't ready to understand.

"That's a secret, Bon." He held the strap of her dress daintily between his thumb and forefinger as he lifted it back onto her shoulder. Whatever closeness existed between them before felt tainted now.

Turning his back to Bonnie, he pressed his palms against the edge of the sink and bowed his head so he was staring directly at the pile of dirty dishes. A slight flush crept up his cheeks. His throat was painfully dry. He filled a glass with water and took a sip.

"I saw the wound. I saw the blood. Now there's nothing there, not even a scratch." Bonnie's voice trembled with frustration, every word piercing him like a pinprick. "You're completely healed and I want to know how."

Suddenly, a plume of fire rose from the glass in his hand. Orange flames flickered and flared along the surface of the water.

The flames died as quickly as they had ignited. If the glass weren't still uncomfortably hot to the touch, he might have convinced himself that it was only his imagination. The fire must have been caused by magic. It was the only plausible explanation and yet it made no sense. He still didn't have magic and Bonnie was just a siphon. With shaky hands, he set the glass down on the counter and turned around.

Bonnie stepped towards him. Her eyes were lit with fierce resolution. "How did that happen?"

"You saw that too?" He asked, surprised. "Did you do that?"

"What?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and Kai realised she wasn't talking about the fire. It seemed she hadn't noticed it at all. "Just answer the question. How are you already healed?"

If only he could compel her to forget. If only Damon were there to do it for him. He was concerned about his brother. Usually, it was the other way around. As unfamiliar as the feeling was, he couldn't help but wonder. If Damon was willing to be away from his family for that long, whatever he was doing must have been really important.

Without him there, Kai would have to come up with a more creative solution than compulsion. At least he still had his unwavering ability to manipulate and mix words until they became the truth. It was a skill he had mastered early in his life but as he looked at Bonnie's expectant face, he found that the lies didn't form as easily as usual.

He couldn't think clearly. His thoughts were jumbled and confused. He was still angry, still burnt by the feeling of being so close to getting what he wanted only to have it ripped away from him at the last second.

 _Go away. Leave me alone._

He wanted to yell but nothing good could come from letting his emotions control him. If he couldn't lie and he couldn't tell the truth, he would have to make her stop asking about it.

Kai forced a hollow chuckle. "I'll tell you my secret, but first you have to tell me one of yours. That's our game, isn't it?"

"I've had enough of your games. Tell me what happened." Bonnie's hand wrapped around his wrist, firm and claw-like. "And don't even think about lying."

The skin around his wrist started to burn. It was faint at first but quickly worsened into a flaming sting. She wasn't even squeezing that tightly but her touch was hotter than any fire. His eyes started to flutter closed from the pain but he forced them open long enough to see the pendant around Bonnie's neck glowing. The round stone had been pink before but now it looked white. It sparkled with so much brilliance it seemed to be made of pure light.

Bonnie's grip tightened. The sharp prod of her nails digging into his skin added to the white-hot burn around his wrist.

As a heretic, he was one of the strongest, most powerful creatures to exist. Fear was not an emotion he felt often but now it settled over him, cold and penetrating, and he had no idea what to do with it.

Besides the physical pain, a sinking feeling tugged at his chest. The last time he felt truly afraid of anyone was when his father was still alive. Even during his fights with Tyler, he had never felt that way. Vampires and werewolves were enemies by nature. It had been different with his father and it was different with Bonnie. With them, there was a sense of betrayal that cut deeper than any amount of physical pain.

"Bonnie." Weak whimpers broke from his lips.

"Tell me." She hissed.

"Bonnie, please." He whined and tried to pry her fingers away with his other hand.

A look of surprise crossed Bonnie's face and she released his wrist. Her necklace stopped sparkling and returned to its regular pink colour. There were red bands around Kai's wrist from her searing touch. When she saw the marks, her eyes widened and started to water. She blinked the tears away before they could fall.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that." Bonnie turned around and stormed away.

Kai watched her green dress flutter behind her as she left.

 _Don't go. Come back._

He wanted to call after her. He wanted to tell her it was okay, but she was already gone.

x

Bonnie pulled the sleeves of her top over her cold hands. It was a relief to finally get out of the restrictive dress but her cotton pyjamas weren't much protection from the chill outside. The patio felt eerily empty without the lights, decorations, and crowd of people. At least the rhythmic pitter-patter of rain made her feel less lonely. She sat on the edge of the chair and her leg bounced up and down. Before she could collapse into bed, there was still one more thing to do. She turned her phone over in her hands. She knew exactly what she wanted to say to Damon but making the call was harder than she thought it would be.

When she heard the sound of footsteps behind her, Bonnie groaned and put her face in her hands. After what happened in the kitchen, she was in no mood to talk to Kai. His step sounded slower and heavier than usual, scuffing the patio floor as he shuffled closer.

"Bonnie."

Her face brightened as she recognised the familiar voice she had missed so much. Hastily shoving the chair back, she stood up and turned around. "Damon." Her voice cracked with emotion.

He looked gloomy and worn out. The deathlike paleness of his face was accentuated by the glow of moonlight. There were dark lines under his reddened eyes, most likely from lack of sleep. A sickening sense of satisfaction crept over her. Maybe their separation made him just as miserable as it made her.

"Hi." With a weary smile, he spread his arms wide.

Something kept her from running into his embrace. As long as she pretended everything was okay, he would never stop his selfish behaviour. He had to know that he hurt her and he could never do anything like that again.

She wanted to be angry but her resolve was crumbling like it always did. Seeing Damon face-to-face and hearing his voice had softened every harsh inclination she had. All she could think about was how good it would feel to be in his arms again.

His absence had surrounded her like a fog, heavy and suffocating. Now that he was back, the weight lifted off her and everything she planned to say melted away with it. He was home, and that was all that mattered.

She threw her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her up with ease. After being apart for so long, it felt so right to be together again. She nestled her head against his shoulder. His shirt felt unpleasantly damp but she hugged him tighter, afraid that if she let go, he might leave again.

"I can explain." He whispered.

She lifted her head from his shoulder to meet his gaze. "Later."

Bonnie pecked his cold lips, taking him by surprise. Damon's eyebrows lifted at the unexpected action. The kiss was gentle at first but quickly deepened as her longing gave way to desire. Her teeth dragged across his lip and he let out a low groan. She ran her fingers through his hair, tugging on the wet ends. There would be time for explanations and apologies later. In her mind, he was already forgiven.


End file.
